Monday, June 29, 2015

You Can't Buy A Healthy Weight, You Have to Own It!


It is time to accept the idea that losing weight is not something that can be bought or sold. It is not a commodity.

The key is to adjust your lifestyle. It means eating a largely plant-based diet based on whole foods coupled with  daily exercises. There is no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to obesity.  Once you are diagnosed with it chronic disease it can set in to stay despite pharmacology, meditation or other attempts to cure yourself.  No amount of positive thinking can alkalinize acidic tissues. You need to change your diet!

Sickness, Obesity and The North American Lifestyle

Think of the people that you know who are fat. Do you know someone who eats fried meats, junk foods and things like French fries and candy bars? Are they sick all of the time?  What is his or her weight like?


Now think of people that you know who maintain a healthy weight.  Do they eat a lot of refined food, meat and sugar?  You have probably noticed that they are mostly abstainers from these toxic foods.

Now turn your attention to traditional cultures from around the globe.  Think of the traditional Asian body and recall how svelte of an archetype it is.  In China Japan and India people have been eating a mostly plant based diet for thousands of years.  It is only recently that these race types have been less than slender thanks to the invasion of our toxic products into their culture.

After you are done picturing the body shape of the average Asian then picture what your average American looks like.  Then picture him eating snacks at a baseball game. The beer full of calories and the hotdog full of fat and nitrates stuffed inside a white fluffy high carb bun is what immediately comes to mind. Hardly health food.

Sadly the overweight American has become the stereotype of North America.  Even if the American happens to be Latino, Asian or from some other descent they tend to be bloated with the toxins and calories that are in our addictive junk foods and meat products once they locate onto our Western soils.

Vegans Tend to Be the Healthiest Humans

So just what are the statistics hewn it comes to vegans? How much healthier are they than us?  Research studies show that vegetarians and vegans are anywhere from five to thirty pounds skinnier than their fellow citizens. 

You don’t have to trust the research. You can trust your own eyes. In fact, ask yourself – when was the last time you saw a really fat vegan?

So just how much weight can you immediately lose if you become a vega?.  During a sturdy at the Pritikin center, 4,500 patients who went through a program of eating as much as they wanted of low fat, plant based whole food lost 5.5% of their body weight.  They also lost an average of seventeen pounds!

Other intervention studies on vegetarian diets have show similar results including two to five pounds lost after twelve days, sixteen pounds lost over twelve weeks and twenty-four pounds lost after one year.

Consuming a low whole foods plant based diet will help you to lose weight and the best news is that the more you weight the quicker you will lose it once you switch to a vegan based diet.  People were able to keep the weight off over the long term better as well, which of course also improved their overall health.

Of course, do not become vegan if this is not part of your Healthy & Active plan, but for most individual eating more in the Paleo style with less startches and no junk food, sugar and fat keeps them at their optimum fitness level.

For more information about the Healthy & Active Program please visit our website at www.healthy-active.com. You may also call us in Toronto at (41) 440-2217 and ask for Adrienne Wright Bulow or Dr. Michael Rahman or email us at adrienne@healthy-active.com.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Ten Gadgets You Must Have In The Kitchen

If you are going to have a happy and active lifestyle, it helps to have the latest gadgets around to help shorten the preparation time for cooking in a leaner, meaner fashion, or even eating completely raw.  Here are some suggestions for gadgets that can make your life a little bit simpler in the kitchen.

  1. Hand blender  - These are single hand-held units that can be used to swirl anything together in a jiffy. They are perfect for making quick batters, soups, shakes and smoothie
  2. Magic Bullet – This gadget mixes, blends, chops, grinds and masticates with the press of a button. It makes raw soups and vegan ice creams in minutes
  3. Juicer – A high quality juicer is great for making yourself healthy nutrient-packed cocktails but it is also wonderful for making vegan sauces out of such healthy ingredients as raw turmeric, raw basil and raw garlic. 
  4. Mandolin Slicer – This is a metal slide with slits that can help you quickly slice or julienne
    A manual mandolin slicer.
    vegetables into any sliced thickness or shape you want; they are particularly handy for slicing root vegetables.
     
  5. Food Processor – These units are bulkier than a mandolin or Magic Bullet but they are very useful if you have to create a large vegan lasagna and making raw cookies and cakes, sauces, soups and dressings.
  6.  Dehydrator – Many raw foods can be spiced preserved and consumed later after being dried in a dehydrator for a few days.  This is a great way to ensure that you always have a vegan snack on hand.
  7.  Yonana – This gadget takes any frozen fruit or frozen liquid and turns it into a dessert that is the consistency of soft ice cream
  8. Spring Form Pans  -- When you are making raw vegan cheesecakes and raw casseroles a spring form pan is useful for stacking and compacting food until it is ready to eat 
  9. Jars for vegan treats – It is classic for vegan desserts to now be served up in parfaits in jars and some raw salads and casseroles can also be served this way as well.
  10.  Infuser teapot – An infuser teapot allows you to enjoy nutritious liquids made loose leafed teas and herbs; they are ideal for making flavorful herbal ice tea
There are a variety of these gadgets for sale on the market. The most important thing to remember is that a well-designed gadget tends to be safer than then one that has a guard for your fingers, although you should definitely look for the safety guard feature when buying a manual vegetable slicer.


For more information about the Healthy & Active Program please visit our website at www.healthy-active.com. You may also call us in Toronto at (41) 440-2217 and ask for Adrienne Wright Bulow or Dr. Michael Rahman or email us at adrienne@healthy-active.com.