As you probably know, obesity and type 2 diabetes—two diseases that go hand in hand—have become major global epidemics. Recent estimates predict that by the year 2030, over half of American adults will be obese and 552 million people will struggle with diabetes.

The statistics look grim, but is there anything we can do? As it turns out, there’s hope after all. In his new book, The Blood Sugar Solution, renowned physician Dr. Mark Hyman offers an encouraging answer for the dual-pronged problem of obesity and insulin resistant diabetes, which Hyman refers to as “diabesity.”

Diabesity may have a tight grip on the world’s population, but Hyman offers some good news: the condition is highly preventable, treatable, and often reversible. The Blood Sugar Solution provides a personal plan that breaks through myths and misconceptions about diabesity, and lays out seven key steps to preventing, treating and reversing both diseases by dealing with the underlying causes.

The eight-week plan is designed to reboot the metabolism, foster weight loss, and essentially reverse type 2 diabetes. According to Hyman, additional benefits may include reduced blood pressure, increased energy, the elimination of joint and muscle pain, improved sleep, and an overall better mood and outlook.

So, what does this eight-week program look like? With a holistic approach to health, Hyman not only recommends the medical essentials like getting an insulin response test and educating yourself about nutrition; he also places much-needed emphasis on all aspects of one’s lifestyle. In addition to eating well and staying active, Hyman argues that it’s equally important to:

• Relax. Stress is a major unrecognized contributor to insulin resistance and blood sugar imbalance. Hyman helps readers discover tactics for rest and relaxation including techniques related to sleep, breathing, journaling, and aromatherapy.
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• Get active. In conjunction with the right diet, Hyman recommends increased exercise as a major factor in treating diabesity.
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• Detox. Hyman asks us to consider and eliminate the environmental toxins around us, as he feels they significantly contribute to diabesity.
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• Self-reflect. Hyman endorses getting attuned to your own specific biological imbalances and looking for ways to address them.
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• Connect. According to Hyman, a support system is crucial to improvement, and gives you the opportunity to invite friends, families, and neighbors to change their diets and lifestyle along with you.

These core components of good health are essential forms of nourishment.

Since The Blood Sugar Solution is rounded out by scientific findings, facts, figures, assessments, and explanations, it can be an especially useful reference guide. It provides tried-and-true wisdom in an action-oriented plan form. While it’s specifically geared towards those suffering from obesity and type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetics will find the book useful as well for maintaining health and balancing blood sugar.

As always, be sure to talk with your doctor before starting on this (or any) new treatment plan.

What techniques have you used to fight diseases like diabesity?
 

Recipes for green juices and smoothies are popping up all over the place and these beverages are slowly becoming a more mainstream approach to healthy eating and detoxing. One thing is for sure – green juices and smoothies are good for you. But is one better than the other? Here is a short comparison to help you learn the ins-and-outs of green beverages. Hopefully this will help you pick which is right for you!

Green Juice

What you need: Juicer, 1 to 2 pounds of your favorite green vegetables
Advantages: Juicing is great because it extracts all of the water and nutrients from vegetables, leaving behind only the plant fibers. This means your body is better able to absorb the nutrients without having to digest the dense bulk of the plant. Plus, you can fit an incredible quantity of vegetables into a single glass of green juice, leaving you with simple, smooth and delicious drink that packs an incredible nutritional punch!
Disadvantages: Juicers can be very expensive and hard to take care of. They need to be thoroughly cleaned after every use to prevent rusting. Stocking enough fresh, organic vegetables to make daily juices can also be somewhat expensive. Although they are very high in nutrients and vitamins, juices can’t keep you full for long because your body processes the liquid so quickly. Finally, it’s worth noting that though green juices typically are usually low in sugar, several store bought juices can have a very high glycemic load and may cause blood sugar imbalances.

Try this Green Juice recipe:

Ingredients
1 handful parsley
2 apples
1 handful spinach
1 cucumber
1 lemon
1-inch piece ginger

Directions
To make juice: In a fruit and vegetable juicer, juice all ingredients. Discard solids. Pour juice into glass and add a few ice cubes if you prefer a colder beverage.
To make smoothie: Prior to blending, chop apple and discard the core. Chop cucumber. Peel and chop ginger. Zest and juice lemon, throwing out remaining rind. Combine all ingredients, and blend until smooth. Add water and a few ice cubes to help thin smoothie out for better blending results.

Green Smoothie

What you need: Blender, ½ to 1 pound of your favorite green vegetables, 1 cup of ice.
Advantages: The biggest advantage to making smoothies is that the only equipment you need is relatively inexpensive – a blender. Smoothies also tend to be a little bit more filling since the plant fibers are present (but still easy to digest, compared to raw whole vegetables.)

Disadvantages: Compared to digesting juice, your body will have to work a bit harder to digest a smoothie and absorb the nutrients. Also, because it’s difficult to pack in the same volume of vegetables into a blender, your smoothie won’t be as nutrient-dense as your green juice. Using a high quality blender, such as a Vitamix, will lead to smoother, more enjoyable smoothies, but the price is comparable to a juicer.

Try this Green Lift Smoothie
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Yields: 2 Servings
Ingredients:
• 1 bunch of kale, finely chopped
• 1-2 grated carrots
• 3 cups boiled water
• 1 cup coconut milk
Directions
1. Add kale, carrot and water to a blender and puree very well, about 2 minutes
2. Add coconut milk and blend for 10-15 seconds more
3. Serve warm or place in the fridge and serve chilled
For a little bit of extra spice, add a slice of ginger or a dash of cayenne pepper. Not only will these add a little zing to your smoothie, but the spices may also fend off any winter illnesses that you feel coming on!

The bottom line is when it comes to green beverages, whether you prefer smoothies or juices, it’s hard to go wrong. Just pick your favorite vegetables, and blend or juice away. Your body will thank you!

From obesity to hypertension and even heart attacks, trans-fats have developed quite the reputation for causing body-deteriorating conditions. And now, a new disease is being added to the list: Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease, also known as senile dementia, is essentially the loss of brain function that gradually gets worse over time. Its devastating effects destroy memory, thinking, and behavior. According to a new study, people with high levels of trans fat in their diets showed poorer memory, attention, and language and processing skills compared to those in the study who did not consume trans fats.
While the research is still relatively new, it could mean that trans fats not only cause inflammation of the arteries, affect heart function, and increase the risk of heart attack, but could also be detrimental to our brains.

On a more positive note, according to The Canadian National Newspaper, the study also found that “people who consumed diets high in vitamins B, C, D and E and rich in omega fatty acids were reported to have larger brains and showed cognitive abilities that correspond with the brain and its healthy blood vessels.”

Here’s a powerful exercise to try: wherever you are, wherever you go, simply look at the people around you. According to recent findings from the American Heart Association, one third of everyone you see has high blood pressure.
Hypertension is not just for grandfathers any longer. A whopping one in three Americans now have it. According to the Centers for Disease Control, hypertension is now common in everyone from toddlers to college students to grandpas (and grandmas.)

Scary, right?
More commonly known as high blood pressure, the disease occurs when blood pumps too forcefully through blood vessels. The great push of blood stretches veins and arteries out of shape. The vessels then tear and develop scar tissue as they try to heal. These scars act like burrs, on which cholesterol gets caught and builds up. Another scenario: vessels tear and rupture, sending fast-flowing blood everywhere.
The thing is, elevated blood pressure doesn’t cause symptoms (headaches, shortness of breath, dizzy spells) until it’s in its late stages, meaning most people don’t even know they have it. By then, they’re already at increased risk for heart attacks and strokes, the first and third leading causes of death in the United States.
So why the increase? A lot of it has to do with America’s rapidly rising obesity rates: over 33.8% of American adults and 17% of children ages 2 through 19 are clinically obese. Plus, people are increasingly sedentary, and they’re eating more high sodium manufactured food than ever before—two more strong factors for high blood disease.

Fortunately, hypertension can be both prevented and treated with lifestyle changes alone:
Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight can raise your blood pressure by causing your heart to work harder—thus creating stronger blood-flow—to support excess weight.

• Eat a plant-rich diet: Studies have shown that diets rich in vegetables and fruit help reduce the risk of hypertension as well as reduce current levels. Plant foods are also rich in potassium, a nutrient that is known to lower high blood pressure.
• Limit sodium to 1,500 mg or less: Salt causes vasoconstriction, the narrowing of blood vessels. This means blood has to push harder to get through the narrowed vessels. Two easy ways to cut the sodium in your diet is to limit the amount of salt you add to your food and avoiding sodium-rich processed foods.
• Be physically active: Regular physical activity—between 30 and 60 minutes of exercise most days—can lower blood pressure levels. And remember, exercise doesn’t have to be a marathon. Even smaller amounts of exercise—such as 10 minute-increments spread throughout the day—can help.
• Limit alcohol use: Three or more alcoholic drinks in one setting temporarily increases blood pressure, while repeated heavy drinking can lead to permanent increases in blood pressure.
• Don’t smoke: Smoking injures blood vessels, making them less supple and less able to handle increases in blood pressure.
Or, an easier way to look at preventing and helping to treat hypertension: live healthily. As Latin poet Marcus Valerius Martial said: “Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well.”
 

What's your plan for Financial Wellbeing?

I've decided that as much as I would like to hand over our financial issues to someone more knowledgeable on these matters than I that really isn't the smart thing to do.  Those days are gone along with a sizeable chunk of what was our retirement funds.  I'm still listening to the experts and now using new information to take action that's in our best interests.  I'm looking forward to seeing how the next 6 - 36 months play out.  I believe we'll be better positioned - even in these turbulent times - in fact because of them.  What do you forsee for yourself for the next 6 - 36 months?

Occupy Yourself - Just Capitalism - Be the 100%
 

Deepak speaks in this video about what he sees as the next step for the Occupy movement and what we (The 100%) can do for our own & collective Financial, Career, Physical and Spiritual Wellbeing.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  What do you think?  Can we make this happen? 

Wellness is the experience of living life with high levels of awareness, conscious choice, self-acceptance, interconnectedness, love, meaning and purpose. It is multi-dimensional and holistic, encompassing physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being as well as the environment.