3-D Vitality

IBD and This Common Carb

Posted on May 22, 2023 by amusico

Inflammatory bowel disease or IBD, is a chronic inflammatory digestive condition that includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Alarmingly, cases of IBD are rapidly increasing in the U.S. According to this published study, IBD increased 123% in adults and 133% in children from 2007 to 2016.

There are numerous causes, both genetic and environmental, that can increase the risk of developing IBD, including the standard American (SAD) diet, stress, lack of exposure to germs as a child, appendectomy, smoking, microorganisms, and even certain common medications such as NSAIDs, antibiotics, and oral contraceptives.

While there’s no one size fits all answer here, there is one healthy carb that has been shown to reduce the risk of Crohn’s disease by 40%. Fiber. This Nutrient Review found that increasing daily fiber intake was an effective strategy for preventing IBD because fiber it reduces proinflammatory cytokines, helps balance gut microbiome and reduces digestive side effects.

It is as simple as increasing your intake of high fiber foods like beans, legumes, vegetables, fruits and whole grains. But up to 95% of Americans fall short of the recommended daily fiber intake of 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. So in that case, thankfully, there are plenty of fiber supplements you could take to bump up your intake easily.

Are you getting enough fiber daily?

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Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU

8 Comments

Dirty Dozen Clean 15

Posted on May 15, 2023 by amusico

As a consumer, why should pesticides matter to you? As long as you eat lots of fruits and veggies, it doesn’t matter whether they’re organic or not – right? Well eating a nutritious diet that’s low in pesticide residues has been associated with definite health benefits. In this 20 year study of over 150,000 people, researchers found those who ate a diet comprised of low-pesticide produce had a 36% lower mortality risk than those who ate no fruits and veggies while a diet higher in pesticide produce didn’t seem to affect mortality.

If that seems confusing to you, join the club. The bottom line seems to be to choose organic produce, from the Clean 15 list, whenever possible to reduce exposure to pesticides, but if you can’t do that, don’t avoid the food altogether. Apparently eating some spinach treated with pesticides is better than avoiding that veggie altogether.

Let’s be honest. Even the cleanest, organic produce is exposed to at least some pesticide residue from the air or water. But using the Dirty Dozen, Clean 15 list can help. Choose those foods on the Dirty Dozen list in organic form as often as you are able.

With food prices rising daily, especially iif you are feeding a family, buy what you can organic and don’t stress so much over it. Do the best you can. Eat a variety of fruits and veggies, choose local grown whenever possible, consider growing some of your own veggies, peel non-organic produce and even try including a good green powder to cover the bases.

Do you intentionally try to buy organic produce to avoid pesticide residue?

Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU

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Mother’s Day 2023

Posted on May 8, 2023 by amusico

I want to wish all moms out there a truly blessed Mother’s Day. What a mother does in the course of a day, much less over a child’s lifetime, is beyond amazing. I wrote an e-book about the blessings of motherhood called, Entrepreneurs for Eternity, which you can you can get for $2.99 on Amazon. I believe it would be a wonderful, uplifting blessing for you or any mom you know who could use a bit of encouragement.

Raising children has never been easy and it seems it is getting more and more difficult. At least to me. I had challenges raising my own 3 over 30 years ago and the challenges in this crazy world just seem to be increasing. I celebrate each and every mom out there and just wanted to say, you are doing a wonderful job. All too often moms don’t hear those words of affirmation, but they are very important.

So enjoy your day and I hope your family celebrates you and all you do.

Ann

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Another Reason to Start Your Day With This

Posted on May 1, 2023 by amusico

In Today is Still The Day I strongly recommend starting the day with protein. Whenever you have breakfast, depending on whether you practice intermittent fasting or not, choose a good, clean source of protein to break you fast and begin the day. I share that studies have shown that starting the day with a source of clean protein instead of carbs can reduce fatigue by up to 75% for 6 hours and double your energy within 30 minutes. Women who included protein in their breakfast meal lost weight 65% faster.

Well here is another huge benefit of beginning your day with protein. Protein foods like eggs, nuts, oats, sausage, cottage cheese, seeds, collagen peptides and yogurt contain an amino acid called tyrosine, which converts into dopamine in the brain. Why should you care? Well cravings, which can derail the most committed among us, are fueled by dopamine.

So what is dopamine? It is a neurotransmitter made in the brain that acts as a chemical messenger between neurons. It is released when your brain is expecting a reward. Even just the anticipation of any activity you associate with pleasure can raise your dopamine levels.

Besides helping you stay full and satisfied longer and nourish your muscles, a protein rich breakfast provides dopamine which will help you hack those cravings by providing your body with a burst of dopamine from clean, healthy, nourishing food rather than succumbing to cravings later on.

Do you begin your day with protein?

Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU

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A Small Change With Big Benefits

Posted on April 24, 2023 by amusico

Staying active all through life is important for maintaining health and vitality. That’s not news. We all know this. But this new study actually found that every 500 steps an older adult took daily was associated with a 14% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or heart failure. That’s huge!

Adults who took at least 4500 steps a day actually had a 77% lower risk of cardiovascular problems than people who only took 2000. This is so encouraging because 4500 steps is not a lot, only slightly more than 2 miles, and we are not even talking about walking on a treadmill or walking on a trail. Just being active and taking 4500 steps a day is doable for pretty much all of us.

If you have an active lifestyle, this is an easy one for you. If you are more sedentary because of your job or just your habits, there are lots of ways to work steps into your day. Often I am sitting at my computer for a good chunk of the day. I always recommend setting a timer and getting up and walking around, doing some squats or stretches every 30 to 45 minutes throughout the day. Park further away from the store so you have to walk more and opt to use the stairs whenever you can.

Do you think you walk at least 4500 steps a day?

Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU

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Cook Your Rice This Way

Posted on April 17, 2023 by amusico

I did a newsletter on resistant starch, what it is and why it’s healthy that you can read here. There has been even more research done specifically on white rice, since this is a very commonly eaten food.

What the researchers found was pretty exciting. When you cook your white rice, simply add a tablespoon or two of coconut oil to the boiling water and then add the raw rice and cook as usual. Then refrigerate for at least 12 hours before eating. This results in a greater amount of resistant starch and also up to a 50-60% reduction in calories.

You may be wondering how this could be. Apparently the oil interacts with the starch in the rice and changes it in a profound way. Then chilling it helps convert the starches making it healthier overall. This is especially good news for people who find it difficult to digest brown rice, which is always considered healthier.

I suggest choosing organic white Jasmine or Basmati and rinsing before cooking. I typically buy Lundberg brand rice because it is organic and testing has shown it has a lower concentration of inorganic arsenic.

Such a very simple thing we can do to make a whole food healthier.

Do you make your rice ahead and chill it before reheating and eating?

Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU

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A Surprising Weight Loss and Heart Healthy Food

Posted on April 10, 2023 by amusico

If I asked you to tell me a vegetable that is associated with weight loss and lower obesity, which would you choose? Leafy greens like kale and spinach, broccoli, cabbage, green beans, cauliflower? Those would be the most common choices, but this one may surprise you: carrots.

Sure like most veggies they are low in calories and high in slow digesting fiber and antioxidants. So that makes them a great choice right there. But we don’t usually think about carrots for much other than healthy vision. Here’s why we should.

Our body fat has stem cells. When we eat too much, our bodies have to make more fat cells to hold that extra fat so our fat stem cells grow. There are some foods that make our fat stem cells less likely to make more fat cells and carrots are one of them.

Another big benefit is that they are also very heart healthy and help to balance cholesterol and protect your heart. My one tip to get the most benefit from them is to eat them cooked and serve with a healthy fat source, like a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. That helps unlock all the nutrients and makes them more bioavailable for your body.

If you were limiting carrots and focusing on other veggies, maybe you might want to reconsider!

Are carrots part of your regular diet?

Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU

13 Comments

Wishing You Easter Blessings 2023

Posted on April 3, 2023 by amusico

As we approach the beautiful holidays of Easter and Passover this week, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading my posts and for your comments and encouragement. They mean more to me than you know.

As you hopefully have times of family togetherness, Easter baskets and chocolate bunnies, I hope you make time to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and meditate on what this day truly means. This is a perfect time to focus on faith, compassion and gratitude and to avoid fear and panic as much as we are able. We have been through some tough years and I pray it brings you peace, joy and hope.

I wish you and your family every blessing as we begin these joyous celebrations.

Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU

8 Comments

Another Reason to Love Ginger

Posted on March 27, 2023 by amusico

Most of us are familiar with the importance of vitamins C and D, as well as the mineral zinc and garlic for keeping immune function robust. Here’s one you may not have thought of; ginger. Besides boasting anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, recent research confirms even a low concentration of gingerol in the blood can put white blood cells on heightened alert, which makes them more more than 30% more effective at fighting bacteria.

According to the lead author of the study, “…our results support the assumption that the intake of common amounts of ginger may be sufficient to modulate cellular responses of the immune system.” While this study is still in the early stages, and more research will need to be done, it’s still exciting news.

I include ginger as one of the spices in my morning elixir and love adding some to a cup of hot chocolate on a chilly night.

So if you routinely drink a few cups of ginger tea, know that you are doing even better things for your health than you may have thought. If you want to increase these immune-supportive benefits of ginger, you can also take a ginger supplement. Just choose one that has high amounts of the critical component, gingerol to get the maximum benefit. You may also want to combine it with turmeric as the two together seem to have even more powerful, synergistic effects.

Is ginger a spice you routinely use?

Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU

6 Comments

Should You Avoid This Sweetener?

Posted on March 20, 2023 by amusico

Recently media reported that a new study found that higher blood levels of the “artificial sweetener” eythritol are associated with an increased risk of blood clotting, stroke, heart attack and death. Wow, pretty alarming news, but is this accurate? Erythritol is used by many people with diabetes and also practicing a keto diet so this finding could potentially affect many people.

The first thing to note is that erythritol, which occurs naturally, is labeled “artificial” both by the study and the press. However, it is a natural sugar found in many foods, including pears, grapes, watermelon, mushrooms, cheese, soy sauce, beer, sake, and wine. It’s also worth noting that erythritol has long been considered as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the World Health Organization, and the EFSA (the European version of the FDA).

While the headlines are screaming that erythritol increases these risks, in actuality that is not what the study found at all. It determined that people with higher blood levels of erythritol have a greater risk of cardiac events and death. What was not explained is this:

The human body actually makes erythritol. This is called endogenous erythritol, and the amount produced lines up with metabolic disease. The sicker the patient, the greater the quantity of erythritol in their blood. The body produces it in response to excess sugar, and it is a marker of cardiometabolic disease. So, the levels of erythritol found in these patients may not be from consuming erythritol but from consuming sugar instead.

There are several problems with the way the study was done. First of all, it doesn’t say how much erythritol the participants consumed. Another part of the study looked at what happens to the blood of test participants after consuming 30 grams of erythritol within two minutes. There were only eight people involved in this part of the study. Additionally, 30 grams is a lot of erythritol to ingest at once, more than the average consumer uses in an entire day and there were no control groups.

So until follow-up studies are done, you might want to keep your consumption of erythritol below 30 grams at one sitting, and use other safe, naturral sweeteners like stevia or allulose as well to ensure you don’t get too much of any one of them. The dosage is what matters and these natural sugar substitutes have been used for decades with great results for people trying to reduce their blood sugar.

Do you typically just believe media headlines or delve a bit deeper into whether you are being told the whole truth?

Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU

6 Comments

3-D Vitality

IBD and This Common Carb

Dirty Dozen Clean 15

Mother’s Day 2023

Another Reason to Start Your Day With This

A Small Change With Big Benefits

Cook Your Rice This Way

A Surprising Weight Loss and Heart Healthy Food

Wishing You Easter Blessings 2023

Another Reason to Love Ginger

Should You Avoid This Sweetener?

Three Dimensional Vitality

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