In a few days I will be sharing a talk on taking care of your liver - or more importantly, loving on your liver. We each only have one. The liver is the body's filtering system. Just as you would not let your furnace filter get totally clogged, nor would you want the city water treatment plant to not be operating to par - we need to ensure the filtering system that God created for our bodies - the LIVER, is loved on and not taxed, which leads to disease and illness.
Come to learn more on Sunday at Crossroads Coffeehouse from 3-5 pm as we kick of a community group - Vitality 2012.
Today is a couple thoughts about beverages...now, I am referring to health drinks. Not soda, and not even energy drinks, as both are the opposite of health drinks.
This is a complete cut and paste, and wish I could remember from whom I found this - but I do believe it was Dr. Mercola's web site although I JUST downloaded 4 Myths- Sick, Tired, Fat by Dr. Kresser (another web site I just subscribed to) and he reiterates the same thing.
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4 health drinks to avoid
Here are 4 of the top so-called "healthy" offenders:
NUMBER 1: 100% "Natural" fruit juice
Surprised?
Ok. Yes. Fruit juice is a better choice than drinking fake high-fructose corn syrup juice … but … it's still a truck-load of calories per ounce of liquid.
On top of that, it has almost all of the blood sugar regulating fiber stripped out of the fruit—this means the natural fruit sugars will trigger insulin surges and send your blood sugar soaring into the diabetic range!
NOT what you want at all.
This is a BIG one because most parents think fruit juice is a "healthy" choice for their children … but … the science shows it's definitely not.
In a study* of 4 to 12 year old children researchers from Deakin University found children who drank more than two glasses (500ml) of fruit juice/drinks per day were more likely to be overweight or obese.
"These odds increased as the amounts of fruit juice/drink consumed increased," Dr Sanigorski said. "Children who drank more than three glasses of soft drink (three quarters of a litre/750ml) or 4 glasses of fruit juice/drinks (1 litre) on the day in question were more than twice as likely to be overweight or obese compared with children who did not drink these drinks."
So the best thing to do is keep fruit juices far out of the hands of our children.
But it's not just the kids who fall prey to these health wrecking Trojan horses—adults fall for it too!
In fact, one particular juice is extremely dangerous for ANY man to consume …
Can you guess what it is?
100% Pure Orange Juice.
Why?
Orange Juice is rich in IRON … which is potentially toxic if your blood levels become too high.
The reason men have to worry about consuming too much orange juice (as little as two big glasses each day) is because we men don't menstruate each month … … And that means we lack an efficient method of clearing excess iron from our blood each month.
Yes.
The "healthy" glass of orange juice you're having at breakfast not only spikes your insulin levels into diabetic ranges (which … along with your energy … will come plummeting down later in the morning) …
… But if you're a man it can also be loading your body with a potentially dangerous heavy metal.
Not good.
So with all this in mind …
It's a much better idea to EAT fruit the way nature intended, with all of the fiber intact, and use a whole foods base multi-vitamin/antioxidant supplement to get enough of the super-nutrients contained in fruit juice.
Let's move onward …
NUMBER 2: Soy Milk
This used to be an often recommended "healthy" alternative to milk …
The truth is:
Most soy products these days are heavily processed with little nutrient density… and … this includes most soy milk you see at the grocery store.
Without question, most soy milk has become too sugary and is controlled by the same food and beverage giants that are still manufacturing and marketing other products that promote degenerative disease.
What's more: high levels of soy consumption have been linked with un-naturally high levels of estrogen production in both men and women …
For men this is death to your sex drive, decreased sperm production and could cause problems such as gynecomastia (abnormal enlargement of men's breasts) …
… For women, even though estrogen is considered a "female sex hormone" … like most anything … too much of it is also bad.
Estrogen dominance has been linked to thyroid disruption, a host of autoimmune diseases and some research questions the connection to hormone sensitive cancers such as breast cancer.
Your best bet? Just avoid it.
And whatever you do, if you are raising a small child, do not feed your child soy-based breast milk replacement products …
… Hopefully, the potential dangers of this commonly accepted practice are evident now.
That said, not all soy is bad …
The only soy based food I have found that is in it's fairly natural state is edamame (green vegetable soypods found at most high-end Japanese restaurants).
Keep in mind I still eat it VERY rarely if I'm dining out or added to a healthy stir fry using walnut, macadamia nut or grapeseed oil.
Speaking of dining out … here's one to REALLY avoid …
NUMBER 3: Crappuccinos
Ok, I mean Cappuccino, but I'm really referring to those high priced gourmet coffee drinks.
While black coffee can help you burn fat because the caffeine content gives your metabolism a slight boost, these tempting coffee calorie hogs can hide up to 1,000 calories!
In one drink!
YES … you are correct … that's insane!
Still craving one of these gourmet coffee drinks?
You can make your own fat-burning version pretty easily:
You'll start by spooning sugar-free, nonfat vanilla yogurt in an ice cube tray and freezing it into cubes overnight.
Then you'll add them to a blender with a splash of organic fat-free milk, a teaspoon of instant coffee crystals, and a scoop of natural vanilla or chocolate whey protein powder.
Lastly, just sprinkle on some cinnamon to add a little fat-burning kick. If you want to cut down on the caffeine, just use decaffeinated instant coffee instead.
This will taste so good that you'll swear it isn't good for you, but it definitely is … and … it's much lower calories than those commercial brands!
Plus, the added protein will give your metabolism a good nudge and help to power your muscles throughout the day.
And last but not least, here is …
NUMBER 4: Zero Calorie Flavored Waters
The good news is these are 0 calories.
That's where the good news stops though …
… most of these still use questionable artificial sweeteners which have been shown to inhibit fat burning, increase appetite, and block the absorption of nutrients into your body in a variety of studies.
Don't be too bummed out though…
A couple of 0 cal flavored drinks use the all-natural stevia plant as a sweetener, include Zevia (a stevia based soft drink), and the 0 cal varieties of Sobe Lifewater for example.
So your best bet?
If you need a little more taste than water every once in a while—look for one of the brands I just mentioned …
… Or … you could always squeeze some lemon in water and maybe add a natural sweetener like stevia to satisfy your taste buds.
So now that you know some top diet drink disasters to avoid … and … you know a few good alternatives to popular "health" drinks.
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I hope you found that information helpful. Today, for the first time ever I drank more than half my body weight in ounces! I drank a 32 oz bottle of body cleansing solution mixed with water and was done by 10 am! I then managed two more 32 oz bottles during the day. At bible study I drank a large mug of detox tea, and two protein shakes. I should be floating!
I do feel more skinny and my pants are loose - celebrating my little moment in the spotlight as the top person in a privage Biggest Loser challene I am a part of.
to your health!
Rita S.
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