Withdrawing From An Unhealthy Lifestyle

For some people changing their lifestyle can be very difficult. They can suffer from withdrawal symptoms from the old lifestyle on three levels: physical, mental and emotional.  Physical pains can come from some very real changes in biochemical processes in the body. Psychological pain can result if the bad habit was somehow protective of an inner vulnerability. Mental issues such as foggy thinking or memory loss can be the result of liver cleansing and the fatigue that can come with a body that is trying to repair and cleanse itself.

Common Withdrawal Symptoms

The good thing is these symptoms pass in just a couple of days.  Many people become cranky and lethargic.  It is very common to get headaches, foggy thinking and fatigued. If you are quitting caffeine or cigarettes, you could get constipated.

Some people have insufferable cravings for sugar when they go on one of these fasts.  Caffeine addicts can also have a hard time.  Both caffeine and sugar are really hard to withdraw from if you have been eating it any day.

If you are a steady drinker and you give up alcohol, you will likely experience the stress and anxiety that you were trying to blot out with your drinking.  If you are drinking to obliterate reality then you might see changing your habits as a chance to deal with your problems and traumas. 

Sometimes breaking a bad habit is not as bad as it seems especially when your start producing your own endorphins as the result of exercising more and eating right. This decreases your dependence on whatever it is you are addicted to in life whiter it be sugar, fat, salt, nicotine or alcohol.

Alcohol acts a lot like sugar does in the body and you may feel agitated if you don’t get your fix.  Giving up caffeine makes some people very moody and jittery.  Giving up gluten (breads and starches), however, sometimes gives some people an immediate relief from any irritable bowel type symptoms. Processed flours also act in the body much the same way sugar does.

Meatless Without Misery

Not eating meat can make some people feel quite lethargic as well. There are plenty of proteins and amino acids in plant-based food, without all the unhealthy fat and additives. However, if meat was the mainstay of your diet before the fast you may not feel that great and experience a lot of cravings until you get used to the idea of eating more alkaline foods.  Alkaline foods tend to be vegan whereas meats tend to be acidic in nature.

Not Everyone Has Symptoms

Some people do not have a hard time at all when they switch from an acidic to alkaline diet and almost everyone feels lighter and more energetic within a day or two of eliminating acidic foods from their diet and replacing them with more alkaline ones.

Be patient. Your physicality needs to have a chance to find its own natural balance.

After changing your diet from an acidic one to an alkaline one you are left with more balanced blood sugar and freedom from old addictions.  You will hopefully be onto a newer and healthier routine that includes the balancing of your blood sugar, weight loss and freedom from addictions.

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.

Why A Tailored Diet and Lifestyle Plan is Best

Often we are asked what makes the Healthy and Active program different from other fitness plan or lifestyle overhaul strategies. The answer is very simple.  The results of your blood chemistry profile and your in person evaluation create a profile of what exactly it is that you need to optimize your health.

The Latest Fad Diet Is Not For Everyone

For years nutritional experts have been prescribing “one size fits all “ type diets, whether they be high protein, low fat or low carbohydrate.  Advocates of these diets promised that everybody would lose weight if they would just stick to these regimens, however the truth is that these diets appeared to only work sporadically for some people. Also it is hard not to note the failure of many of these diets, which left some people with rebound weight gain and victims of the ever-growing epidemic in diabetes. 

Of course all of these fad diet failures have left many people wondering, “What’s the right diet for me?”

One important aspect of the Happy and Active program that it is tailored to suit the needs of each individual as it is partly based on identifying your metabolic type (in reality a combination of sub-types) and then prescribing dietary changes and lifestyle choices according to that.

The Right Diet For You Is In Your Genetics

HUMAN DNA

Part of your Healthy and Active evaluation is having your blood is analyzed for 42 different components by your Healthy and Active Practitioner, who will be able to tell, from looking at this profile, what types of genetic predisposition you have towards certain problems and what sorts of foods you should eat to practice preventative medicine and maintain weight loss.  The diet that is then prescribed for you is based on your personal biochemistry and not on second-guessing whether or not you should go gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb or otherwise. 

In other words the vegetarian diet that is high in fruits and vegetables but low in protein might be right for your neighbour but completely wrong for you.  You might do better with a high protein, low carb diet that includes a bit of dairy.  That is because the same nutrients can have different biochemical effects in different people.

In this program there are no generally right foods or wrong foods. The only diet that is right for you is the one that meets your inherited dietary requirements.

How Eating The Wrong Foods Leads to Starvation

It may not the fat, carbs or protein that is making you fat. It is the fact that your body is unable to metabolize or convert certain foods into energy that is the real problem.  If you have a metabolism that works well, then you can eat quite a bit of fat or carbs because your body will utilize it efficiently.  If your metabolism is slow, then those foods will be converted to fat.  Eating right for your metabolic type prompts your body to metabolize foods properly.

Also, if you are consuming the wrong types of foods for your metabolic type, then you may not be absorbing the nutrients that you need to feel whole and healthy.  You may suffer from constant cravings as your body produces hormones that counteract the effects of the foods that you just consumed.

The point of a HAP assessment is to guide you to fuel your body with the right kind of energy so you do not have to worry about feeling fatigued, hungry or packing on the pounds.  Eating right for you type will also reduce food cravings, binge eating, ups and downs in energies, sleeplessness and mood swings.

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 Raman or email us at adrienne@healthy-active.com.

Delicious Fruit Herb Infused Water Recipes

When you are living the Healthy and Active lifestyle you will find yourself naturally beginning to cut sodas and sugary drinks out of our lifestyle. Even if you have been drinking club soda, you may discover that the sodium content in the drink is too high and sabotaging your efforts to keep your blood pressure low or reduce bloating.

At lebecca.net VOSS water bottles are used to make
fruit and herb infused waters

Often too, when you embark on a healthy and active lifestyle plan, the answer is to drink more water. Of course, this water cannot be sweetened with powdered ice tea mix or aspartame laden flavourings so many individuals find the prospect of drinking just plain water or mineral water all day to be a bit boring.

There is a solution to this dilemma without adding sugar, Sucralose or other flavourings to your water and that is to make fruit, vegetable and herb infused water. This involves slicing up fresh produce into attractive looking wedges and slices and letting it flavour your water for you. 

You can simply use any jug or mason jar to make your water or you can buy an infuser, which are now being mass manufactured especially for this purpose. These infusers often come with a central funnel and a lid with a filter in it to prevent the produce cuttings from slipping into your glass when you pour yourself a drink. Some even come with bases beneath them that have a tray for ice to keep your beverage cold as it sits all day.  However, you do not have to get that fancy to make the delicious infused water combinations suggested below.

Blueberry and Mint make a delicious elixir especially if you freeze the blueberries first so they act like floating ice cubes in a drink

Cantaloupe, Orange and Mint make a delicious sweet drink, especially if you freeze the melon balls first to help chill the drink

Cucumber and Kiwi makes a refreshing combination with the smoothness of the cucumber flavour toning the tartness of the kiwi

Orange and Ginger creates a mildly nippy drink with a slight earthy bite to it

Grapefruit and Rosemary is a classic combination that has a very exotic, grown up taste with the two flavours complimenting each other strongly

Lime and Mint works to create a very mild version of what tastes like a Virgin Mojito

Lemon and Lemon Balm creates quite a strong natural lemonade flavour

Orange and Blueberry creates a sweet, light flavour with hints of both fruits with enough flavour to fool your taste buds into thinking they are tasting something stronger

Orange and Cilantro creates a sweet tasting refreshing water

Orange, Cucumber and Mint water seems to change the texture of the liquid, giving it a bit of a soft smooth feel in the mouth

Raspberry Vanilla Water is easily made with a vanilla pod and fresh or frozen raspberries soaking together to create a dessert-like infusion

Strawberry, Lemon and Basil Water imparts a slightly tart taste with a taint of anise

Strawberry, Lime, Cucumber and Mint creates a very smooth, slightly sweet and slightly tart drink

Watermelon and Mint is a classic, curative sweet water with a slightly earthy taste and excellent for dehydration on a hot day

Watermelon and Tarragon Water supplies a clean, earthy and mineral laden flavour

Be sure to serve your gourmet fruit waters over plenty of ice to make them as appealing as possible to the eye and your palate.

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.