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TODAY'S ARTICLE
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Dear ,
In previous Healing Gourmet newsletters, I've highlighting the most important steps you must take to reach your ideal weight and - more importantly - dramatically reduce your risk of disease.
Today, we continue with what might seem like a patently obvious recommendation: Don't Eat Toxins!
The simplest definition of a toxin is something that can damage tissues and organs or cause disease when it enters the body. By this definition, it's clear that many of the things that modern humans consider "food" are actually toxins, including:
- Sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and other high-glycemic carbohydrates
- Industrial seed oils (omega-6 fatty acids)
- Cereal grains and refined flours
Of course, most people won't become ill from eating a small amount of sugar... or vegetable oil... or pasta made with wheat flour. But studies clearly show that if we eat these things in excess over time, our risk of disease rises significantly.
But today, I want to address the compounds we more commonly think of as "toxins"...
I'm talking about pesticides, preservatives and other chemicals... heavy metals... and industrial pollutants. Some of these are intentionally added to foods or sprayed on crops. Others enter the food supply inadvertently through pollution and contamination. In some cases, we even rub them on our skin voluntarily!
The bottom line is that our modern world is awash in chemicals and pollutants that can make you sick.
But what you might not know is that they can also make you FAT!
I'll get to that in a moment, but first...
If you're under the impression that "a little won't hurt you", I have some startling news.
Chemicals in Your Cuisine: What You Can't See DOES Hurt You!
You can't see, smell or taste the chemicals in your food. In most cases, these tiny compounds can't even be seen with a microscope. But they're found in everything from bottled water to baby food. And they can have a profound effect on your metabolism and your health.
Several years ago, the authors of the book, Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects our Health, set out to determine how the body handles these chemicals and just how much is safe.
For several days, one of the authors carefully avoided any foods that could be contaminated with the chemical, bisphenol-a (BPA). This is a chemical in canned food liners and plastic food containers that has been linked to breast and prostate cancer. He then had his blood levels of BPA tested.
Once this baseline was established, the author restricted his diet exclusively to canned foods that were heated in a microwave using a polycarbonate plastic container. He did this for only two days. The result was a 7,500% increase in bisphenol-a in his blood!
The results were similar for the neurotoxin mercury...
In that study, one of the authors abstained from fish for a month and then had his mercury levels tested. Then, over a two day period, he ate tuna sandwiches for lunch and either sushi or a tuna steak for dinner. The result was a 2,500% increase in the level of mercury in his blood!
But of course, it's not just mercury and BPA...
We're exposed to dozens of harmful chemicals every day, including organochlorines and organophosphates (found in non-organic fruits and vegetables), phthlates (in scented toiletries and plastics), triclosan (in antibacterial products), perflourinated compounds (in cookware), PCBs (in farm-raised fish), dioxins (in conventional meats) and more.
In a moment, I'll show you the steps you must take to avoid these invisible health-robbers. But first, let's discuss how chemicals in your food and environment could make fat loss virtually impossible...
Are these "Sneaky" Chemicals Causing You to Pack on the Pounds?
Obesogens are defined as chemical compounds that impact your hormones and genetics, altering the way your body uses calories and stores fat.
Your endocrine (or hormonal) system is precisely tuned. But it is also extremely sensitive and can be easily thrown off kilter by compounds that actually mimic hormones. These "hormone mimics" can hijack your body's regulatory systems, including the systems that control body weight.
Obesogens work in three ways. They:
- Encourage the body to store fat and re-program cells to become fat cells
- Promote insulin resistance, causing the pancreas to pump more of this "fat storage hormone"
- Prevent the appetite-reducing hormone leptin from being released, shutting off the "I'm full" signal
Dr. Bruce Blumberg, professor of biology at UC Irvine says that, "The role of obesogens in fat accumulation raises questions about the effectiveness of just diet and exercise in helping people lose pounds and maintain a proper weight."
While previous animal and test tube studies have demonstrated the potent pound-packing ability of these compounds, a recent human trial conducted by Dr. Steven Perrine confirms it. In fact, participants in Dr. Perrine's study lost an average of 15 pounds over two weeks - simply by eliminating obesogens!
Sounds easy right?
Well, not so fast...
Unfortunately, these chemicals are found everywhere - from product packaging and cookware to lotions and beauty products... as well as in healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, fish and meats.
But the good news is that with a little knowledge you can do a lot to avoid obesogens and their hormone-hampering effects. So, here are twelve simple tips to reduce or eliminate your exposure:
- Choose Organic Produce: Many pesticides and fungicides mimic the hormone, estrogen. They also impair thyroid function and increase fat cell growth, contributing to weight gain. Eat only organic foods that have not been treated with chemicals. Of highest importance are the "Dirty Dozen" which contribute to 90% of our pesticide exposure. These include: non-organic peaches, apples, bell peppers,
celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots, and pears. Always choose organic when buying these foods.
- Say Sayonara to Soy: Soy contains daidzen and genistein - estrogen-like compounds that can increase fat stores and body weight. Soy is also a crop that's highly contaminated with pesticides, giving you a "double dose" of obesogens.
- Go Grass-Fed & Pasture Raised: Grain and soy-fed animals contain a powerful cocktail of obesogens - from growth hormones to PCBs and other estrogen mimics, known to alter human hormones and promote the storage of fat.
- Avoid Farm-Raised Fish: In addition to being fed soy and cornmeal, farm-raised fish are administered a wide variety of chemical compounds that act as hormone mimics. Always choose wild, sustainable seafood.
- Ban the Cans: Can liners contain bisphenol-a (BPA) - one of the most potent obesogens known. The exception to this rule are the few companies that have taken the initiative to create BPA-free can liners including Vital Choice (sardines, salmon, etc), Eden Foods (beans) and Native Forest (coconut milk, fruits, veggies).
- Avoid Plastics: Plastics contain a variety of chemicals that impair hormone function. Avoid plastic food storage containers, plastic water bottles, and plastic wrap. Make sure you never microwave in plastic. And if you have to use a plastic water bottle be sure to avoid those with recycling codes #3 or #7.
- Bid Farewell to Fragrance: Laundry detergents, dryer sheets, soaps, shampoo, cleaning products, perfumes, lotions and other products containing "fragrance" are potent hormone disruptors. Choose natural, sustainable options instead and boycott artificially-fragranced products for your home and personal care needs.
- Avoid Microwave Popcorn: Popcorn is not a healthy, low glycemic food to begin with. But microwave bags add perflorinated compounds (PFCs) - endocrine disruptors known to promote tumors - to the mix. Also be sure to avoid roasting bags and grease-resistant food packaging. These also contain PFCs.
- Choose "Edible" Beauty Care Products: Everything that goes on your skin enters your body. By choosing personal care products that have 100% natural ingredients, you can ensure you're not being exposed to potent endocrine disruptors including parabens, phthalates and triclosan (found in antibacterial products).
- Say "NO" to Nonstick: The non-stick coating material - PFOA - is a powerful hormone disruptor that can leach into foods when heated. Opt instead for ceramic-coated nonstick cookware or cast-iron.
- Filter Your Water: As more chemicals are being used, our water supplies are becoming increasingly contaminated with hormone mimics. Be sure to use a high quality water filter to remove toxins, disinfectants and other municipal "additives" from your drinking water. Alternatively, opt for spring or mineral water bottled at the source in glass bottles. Also, because we absorb chemicals from
showers and baths, install a shower filter.
- Store Foods and Filtered Water in Glass Containers: Chemicals in plastics easily leach into food and water. Always store your foods and fresh filtered water in inert containers, preferably glass.
In addition to keeping obesogens out of your body, it's also important to detox from those that have made their way in. You see, these compounds are not readily eliminated by the body. They get stored in your fat cells and drip out their "hormonal instructions" over time in small but highly bioactive doses... for as long as 20 years!
But you can help purge these pudge-makers by enjoying frequent infrared saunas (scrub well with soap afterwards!). You should also consider adding high quality spirulina, chlorella and cilantro to your daily regimen (compounds in these plant foods bind to toxins and carry them out of the body). And cleanse your liver with lots of clean water, cruciferous veggies, garlic, onions and detoxifying herbs like milk thistle.
While the weight of the obesity epidemic can be more appropriately blamed on super-sized junk food than on tiny chemicals, there's no doubt that that these compounds impact our hormonal systems, our weight regulation mechanisms and ultimately our long term health.
So if you're already doing everything else right, doing your best to eliminate obesogens just might be the edge you need to get the lean physique and vibrant health you desire in 2014!
To Your Health,
Kelley Herring
Healing Gourmet
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REFERENCES
- Grün F. Obesogens. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2010 Oct;17(5):453-9.
- Schnoor JL.Obesogens, the exposome, and ES&T. Environ Sci Technol. 2011 Apr 1;45(7):2517. Epub 2011 Mar 11.
- Grün F, Blumberg B.Endocrine disrupters as obesogens. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2009 May 25;304(1-2):19-29. Epub 2009 Mar 9.
- Pamela M. Hurley, Richard N. Hill, and Rick J. Whiting. Mode of Carcinogenic Action of Pesticides Inducing Thyroid Follicular Cell Tumors in Rodents. Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 106, Number 8, August 1998
- Lee, D-H, I-K Lee, K Song, M Steffes, W Toscano, BA Baker, and DR Jacobs. 2006. A Strong Dose-Response Relation Between Serum Concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants and Diabetes. Results from the National Health and Examination Survey 1999-2002. Diabetes Care 29:1638-1644.
- Bigsby R, Chapin RE, Daston GP, Davis BJ, Gorski J, Gray LE, Howedeshell KL, Zoeller T, vom Saal FS. 1999. Evaluating the Effects of Endocrine Disruptors on Endocrine Function during Development. Environmental Health Perspectives 107(4):613-618.
- Verhulst SL, Nelen V, Den Hond E, Koppen G, Beunckens C, Vael C, Schoeters G, Desager K. 2009. Intrauterine exposure to environmental pollutants and body mass index during the first 3 years of life. Environmental Health Perspectives 117(1):122-126.
- Golden RJ, Noller KL, Titus-Ernstoff L, et al (March 1998). "Environmental endocrine modulators and human health: an assessment of the biological evidence". Crit. Rev. Toxicol. 28 (2): 109-227. PMID 9557209
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Here at Healing Gourmet we believe in achieving wellness through the power of nutrition. So, to jumpstart your healthiest body yet, I'd like to gift you my newest recipe book... Carb Lover's Keto.
Still on the fence about trying the Keto diet? Read the article below for a quick crash course on all things Keto...
Kelley
Crash Course: Keto Diet 101
The ketogenic diet has become one of the world’s hottest trends in weight loss, health and athletic performance. And that’s for a good reason...
Countless people have achieved better results on keto than any other way of eating. From better brain function, reduced cancer risk, more energy, fewer cravings, less hunger and rapid fat loss – the benefits of a keto diet can be profound.
Keep reading to discover exactly how the keto diet works... and how you can achieve the health and metabolic advantages keto can provide - while still enjoying ALL the foods you love.
Plus, I have a special gift for you at the end (Hint: It will help you achieve your keto goals...)
The Path from Sugar Burner to Fat Burner
Your body is an amazing machine…
Like a hybrid car, it can use various fuels to power your muscles, organs and brain. Your two primary sources of fuel are sugar (glucose) and fat. But there is a catch. You cannot burn both at the same time.
That’s because excess sugar in your bloodstream can be very damaging – even deadly. So when sugar is present, your metabolism is hardwired to burn it first. Fat burning is put on hold. And any sugar that remains after your caloric needs are met is converted into triglycerides and stored as body
fat.
When you consistently consume excess carbohydrates, your body has no choice but to burn sugar and store fat. And after a period of years or decades, you become very proficient at burning sugar… and very inefficient at burning fat!
But you are not meant to be a Sugar Burner!
Back to the analogy of a vehicle – sugar is a “dirty” fuel. Consuming and burning sugar creates widespread inflammation, oxidation and glycation – the three pillars of aging and disease. It’s also an inferior energy source that burns out fast.
You also have a very small gas tank for storing carbohydrates (your glycogen stores). That’s why Sugar Burners need constant fill ups. Burning sugar puts your mood, energy levels and appetite on a constant roller coaster that revolves around when you can get your next carbohydrate fix!
Healthy fats, on the other hand, are your factory-specified fuel. They burn clean and slow, and produce FAR more energy than sugar. What’s more, the human body has almost unlimited capacity to store fat. Even a person of average weight has enough body fat to power their metabolism for months.
Your body is designed to be a Fat Burner!
The great news is that by adding the right fuel to your vehicle, you can transform your “metabolic machinery” back to its factory setting. And that’s exactly what the ketogenic diet can do for you!
What is Ketosis?
The Ketogenic Diet is a way of eating that is rich in healthy fats… moderate in protein… and very low in carbohydrates. It is designed to put your body in a state of ketosis.
Ketosis is the natural metabolic state where your energy needs are met by the healthy fats you consume and by the unsightly flab stored on your belly, butt and thighs. In fact, even the dangerous visceral fat that surrounds your organs is broken down and turned into energy.
The ketogenic diet is different from most diets, because it specifies the amounts and ratios of macronutrients (fat, protein and carbohydrates) you should consume. We call these the Magic Macros – and what’s magical is how quickly and effectively this way of eating can transform your body and health!
In general, on a caloric basis, the keto diet should be comprised of:
- 65% – 80% Fat
- 15 – 30% Protein
- 5% – 10% Carbohydrate
That is a fairly wide range of flexibility. It reflects the fact that we are all unique. We have different responses to fat, protein and carbs. We all have different activity levels. And as we become fully fat adapted, we may be able to tolerate more carbohydrates – and still remain in ketosis.
You will achieve the greatest success and fastest results by limiting your carbohydrates to around 5% of the calories you consume. For most people, this means between 20 and 50 grams of carbs per day.
By restricting carbohydrates – and filling your plate with healthy fats and protein – you compel your body to find another fuel source. Continue this process for a few weeks, and you can transform your metabolism from a lifelong sugar burner to a highly efficient fat-burning machine!
As fats are broken down, they are converted into clean-burning ketone bodies by your liver. Ketones are the highest quality fuel you can burn. Not only do they produce long-lasting energy, they even help convert cellular waste, junk proteins and damaged or mutated cells into fuel!
Ketosis is like spring cleaning for your cells. It is truly the deepest form of detoxification – and can help to cleanse and renew your body at the cellular and mitochondrial level!
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A Few Words for the Doubters: Ketosis is Natural & Healthy!
There is a good chance you’re familiar with the doubters and naysayers, who say that it is “unhealthy” to abstain from carbs or that “forcing” your body into a state of ketosis is unnatural.
What is truly unnatural is how the vast majority of the population eats – where more than half of their calories come from grains, starches and sugar!
It is important to understand that not only is nutritional ketosis the healthiest metabolic state for most people – it is also perfectly natural.
Newborn babies enter ketosis within 24 hours after birth. And it is their mother’s fat-rich milk that helps them rapidly grow and thrive. Our ancient ancestors also thrived on ketones, during the winter months when high carbohydrate foods weren’t available.
In fact, ketones are what allowed our hunter gatherer ancestors to remain sharp enough to complete a successful hunt – even after days without food. In our modern world, many indigenous cultures consume diets that closely match the macronutrient ratios of keto… as they have for thousands of years, without experiencing any
of the health complications so common in our modern world.
The human race simply would not have survived without the ability to utilize ketones...
If you are already following a Paleo / ancestral framework, it should be very easy for you to transition to a ketogenic diet. You will likely need to reduce carbohydrates, while increasing your consumption of healthy fats.
In addition to fatty cuts of meat like ribeyes and pork shoulder, I like to cook above-ground vegetables (like broccoli, cabbage, collards) with a healthy serving of butter, pastured lard, tallow or duck fat. This is a delicious way to increase your consumption of satiating and healthy fats… without adding too many carbs
to your diet.
Here at Healing Gourmet, you’ll discover how to achieve the metabolic state of ketosis as quickly as possible... how to maintain it with the least effort... and how to avoid common side effects experienced during the first few weeks.
To help you on the road to ketosis I'd like to give you my newest recipe book, Carb Lover's Keto... for F.R.E.E!
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To Your Health,
Kelley Herring
Healing Gourmet
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