Gluten free, Health Articles

Do YOU Have a Gluten Problem? (Part 1 of 3)

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These days, just about everyone has seen or heard the word “gluten”, but few understand what it is and how it affects the body. This week I want to go back to the basics and explain all their is to know about gluten to hopefully help you better understand how this little protein is causing health problems of epic proportions.

 

WHAT IS GLUTEN?

glu·ten  (gltn)n.

1. The mixture of proteins, including gliadins and glutelins, found in wheat grains, which are not soluble in water and which give wheat dough its elastic texture.

2. Any of the simple plant proteins found in cereal grains, especially the protein molecules in wheat, rye, barley, and possibly oats, that cause digestive disorders such as celiac disease.

WHAT FOODS CONTAIN GLUTEN?

Any food products containing:

  • Wheat
  • Rye
  • Spelt
  • Barley
  • Oats (these do not contain gluten on their own, but are commonly cross contaminated when processed. You can purchase gluten-free oats)
  • Orzo
  • Bran
  • Bulgar
  • Farina
  • Kamut
  • Semolina

It is very important to read labels as many foods contain by-products of these grains. Here is a list of common foods that contain gluten:

  • Pizza
  • Breads
  • Crackers
  • Pasta
  • Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, etc.
  • Pretzels
  • Cereal
  • Beer
  • Soy sauce
  • Couscous

You will find hidden gluten in these types of foods:

  • Broth or Bullion
  • Sauces and dressings
  • Sodas
  • Chips
  • Candy, ice cream
  • Cured or processed meats and cheeses
  • Fast food
  • California Roll sushi (The fake shrimp is made with gluten as well as the soy sauce)

GLUTEN STATISTICS

  • More than 3 million people in the US suffer from celiac disease, which is approximately 1 in 133 people. However, more recent numbers suggest the number may be closer to 1 in 100. Either way, the more disturbing statistic is that only 1 in 4,700 have received an official diagnosis.
  • More than one of every ten individuals with celiac disease (more than 10%) may develop one or more of the following conditions:
    • Arthritis
    • Ataxia (see Gluten Ataxia)
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • Lactose Intolerance
    • Liver Disease
    • Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (Cancer)
    • Peripheral Neuropathy
    • Obesity
    • Osteomalacia or Low Bone Density
    • Thyroid and Pancreatic Disorders
    • Type I Diabetes

    Anemia, Dermatitis, Migraines, and Osteoporosis are also common conditions suffered by Celiacs, and people with untreated celiac disease are at far greater risk of developing some form of gastrointestinal cancer than the average person (some numbers suggest they are more than 50 times likely to develop a GI cancer).

  • 5% and 10% of all people may suffer from a gluten sensitivity of some form. recent findings indicate that many people with a gluten intolerance but not celiac disease may have a different form of disease altogether. The BMC Journal in early 2011 suggests that there is a form of gluten sensitivity that is medically different from celiac disease. And none of this takes into consideration the confusion over gluten allergy symptoms.
  • It takes an average of 11 years for patients to be diagnosed with celiac disease. The average cost of a misdiagnosis is $5,000 – $12,000 per person per year.
  • More than 55 diseases have been linked to gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It’s estimated that 99% of the people who have either gluten intolerance or celiac disease are never diagnosed.

* http://glutenintoleranceschool.com/gluten-intolerance-statistics/

WHAT ARE SYMPTOMS OF GLUTEN INTOLERANCE?

Gluten is an inflammatory food that triggers your immune system, rips up the gut, and in turn effects hormones, so your symptoms could be a wide variety of issues. However, there are some more common health ailments that people experience due to eating gluten. These include but are not limited to:

  • Digestive Distress: constipation, diarrhea, acid reflux, bloating, gas, abdominal pain.
  • Pain in the body such as arthritic pain, inflammation and swelling, back pain, neck pain and stiffness, nerve pain, feet pain, joint pain.
  • Autoimmune Disease such as such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Ulcerative colitis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Scleroderma or Multiple sclerosis.
  • Hormonal imbalance including PCOS, Thyroid disorder, adrenal fatigue or burnout, heavy prolonged cycles, amenorrhea (no menstrual cycle), severe cramps, abnormal or no ovulation, infertility.
  • Chronic migraines or headaches
  • Anxiety and/or depression or other mood disorders such as ADD (this is a HUGE connection!!!)
  • Anemia and malnourishment
  • Hair loss
  • Acne, breakouts, rashes, and skin problems
  • Allergies related to food or other allergens such as seasonal allergies
  • Fatigue, brain fog, and lack of that mental edge.
  • Restless legs
  • Poor circulation
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Inability to gain OR lose weight

“There’s hardly a single organ system that is not in some way affected by wheat products. The health impact of Triticum aestivum, common bread wheat and its genetic brethren, ranges far and wide, with curious effects from mouth to anus, brain to pancreas, Appalachian housewife to Wall Street arbitrageur. If it sounds crazy, bear with me. I make these claims with a clear, wheat-free conscience.”

– William Davis, M.D. from the book “Wheat Belly”

Pretty unbelievable the damage that can be done from one little protein molecule, right? Imagine all the people suffering with these conditions, who are taking loads of medication when all they really need to do is clean up their diet!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GLUTEN INTOLERANCE, GLUTEN SENSITIVITY, GLUTEN ALLERGY, AND CELIAC DISEASE?

The terminology these days between all of these different labels can get confusing. Here is the breakdown…

  • GLUTEN INTOLERANCE
    • Basically this is exactly what it sounds like…your body is “intolerant” to gluten, meaning it does not tolerate it well when exposed. Your body can’t digest it well leading to digestive issues after eating glutenous foods, and most likely is beginning to destroy your intestinal lining, which leads to “leaky gut syndrome” and if continued will further health ailments.
  • GLUTEN SENSITIVITY
    • This is very similar to gluten intolerance, but in most cases is considered a mild form of symptoms such as fatigue after eating gluten or slight bloating. Your body is “sensitive” to glutenous foods, but you haven’t been diagnosed with a full blown allergy.
  • GLUTEN ALLERGY
    • This is a diagnosis that comes from a medical doctor or a health care professional who performs an allergy test on you and it returns positive that your body (immune system) responds negatively to gluten and you actually have an allergic reaction to glutenous foods when you eat them. This can vary from mild to life threatening.
  • CELIAC DISEASE
    • Celiac Disease is the most serious of all forms of gluten issues and is classified as an autoimmune disease, which means, the body is actually attacking itself. People with celiac disease usually have minimal to no microvilli on their intestinal lining. Villi are little finger link structures that line the small intestine and are responsible for absorbing all minerals and nutrients from the foods we eat. Without villi, it is very difficult to absorb any nutrients, which is where a huge problem comes in for those with Celiac.
    • It is widely and commonly believed that Celiac Disease is something one must live with for the rest of their life with no hope of ever living without it. I however, do not hold the same beliefs and have seen people become completely healed. This isn’t something I would work with a person one-on-one about to find the root cause of their disease and give them the tools they need to get the job done and restore their health. Exciting, right?! 🙂

     

WHY THE INCREASE IN GLUTEN & WHEAT PROBLEMS? JESUS ATE IT!

You see, my friend…the all-American wheat grain that this country is oh so proud of is a billion times different than the wheat grain from the Bible days. This is why even 100 years ago, people ate wheat and bread all the time, but obesity, heart disease, diabetes, infertility, and digestive disease were significantly lower than what they are now, because wheat has considerably changed into a genetic mystery of complex proportions.

  • WHEAT ORIGINALLY CONTAINED 14 CHROMOSOMES AND NOW HAS 42

Bread and other foods made from wheat have sustained humans for centuries, but the wheat of our ancestors is not the same as modern commercial wheat that reaches your breakfast, lunch and dinner table. From the original strains of wild grass harvested by early humans, wheat has exploded to more than 25,000 varieties, virtually all of them the result of human intervention.

The first wild, then cultivated, wheat was einkorn, the great-granddaddy of all subsequent wheat. Einkorn has the simplest genetic code of all wheat, containing only 14 chromosomes.

Shortly after the cultivation of the first einkorn plant, the emmer variety of wheat, the natural offspring of parents einkorn and an unrelated wild grass, Aegilops speltvoides or goatgrass, made its appearance in the Middle East. Goatgrass added its genetic code to that of einkorn, resulting in the more complex twenty-eight-chromosome emmer wheat.

Emmer wheat, Dr. Davis explains, was probably the wheat of biblical times. Later the emmer wheat mated naturally with another grass and produced Triticum aestivum, the forty-two-chromosome wheat that humans consumed for centuries – right up until the past 50 years or so. That’s when the story of wheat becomes a bit of a modern Frankenstein tale. Modern wheat also known as “dwarf wheat” was created by a geneticist, Dr. Normal Borlaug with the intention of feeding a starving world. Although his intentions seemed good, this form of spliced, diced, and reformulated wheat was never tested for human consumption.

  • GENETIC MODIFICATION
    • Unfortunately for years now, our modern everyday wheat has been the offspring of a lab, pesticides, herbicides, and scientists. In fact, today’s wheat literally can’t survive in a natural setting. Take away the modern pesticides and fertilizers and it will quickly die.

Perhaps overjoyed at the prospect of the feeding the world, the developers of modern wheat varieties weren’t interested in conducting tests to see if these genetically-modified strains were actually fit for human consumption. Dr. Davis believes they’re not. At the very least, we’re now consuming wheat that’s genetically different from what our ancestors consumed:

Analyses of proteins expressed by a wheat hybrid compared to its two parent strains have demonstrated that while approximately 95 percent of the proteins expressed in the offspring are the same, five percent are unique, found in neither parent. Wheat gluten proteins, in particular, undergo considerable structural change with hybridization. In one hybridization experiment, fourteen new gluten proteins were identified in the offspring that were not present in either parent plant. Moreover, when compared to century-old stains of wheat, modern strains of Triticum aestivum express a higher quantity of genes for gluten proteins that are associated with celiac disease.

Hybridization efforts of the past fifty years have generated numerous additional changes in the gluten-coding genes in Triticum aestivum, most of them purposeful modifications of the “D” genome that confer baking and aesthetic characteristics on flour. It is therefore the the “D” genome of modern Triticum aestivum that, having been the focus of all manner of shenanigans by plant geneticists, has accumulated substantial changes in genetically determined characteristics of gluten proteins.

* http://www.strongwomen.com/whats-up-with-wheat-firsthand-reflections-on-a-grain-gone-awry/

* http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.php/2011/08/30/book-review-wheat-belly/

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE A GLUTEN PROBLEM?

The absolute BEST and CHEAPEST way to find out how gluten is affecting you is to remove it. With the dangers of GMO foods and the unfortunate reality that wheat these days rips up the digestive tract, and ultimately leads to health problems, I wouldn’t recommend eating gluten for anyone. Even if you currently don’t have any of these symptoms, unfortunately with the way our food supply is going, eventually you probably will, and it’s not worth it to wait until the doctor bills begin to add up.

It’s CRITICAL to remember when “testing” your body’s response to gluten that you do so 100% and know exactly what you’re putting in your body. If you have 1 cracker during the testing period, it will throw off your results, because yes, just that much can have an impact.

 

You can also have a blood test done through a local healthcare provider such as a chiropractor or naturopath to see what food allergies you currently have. And lastly, those who believe they have Celiac disease can choose to have a biopsy done of the small intestine to confirm the results. ***HOWEVER*** These results are not definitive. Many people DO have Celiac, but the biopsy came back negative.

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SO, as you can see, the easiest and cheapest way to avoid all of this is simply to remove gluten from your diet and stick to gluten free alternatives. To learn more on how to do that stay tuned for tomorrow’s post! In the mean time take a look around my site for gluten-free recipes!

In Health, Hope, & Happiness,

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Gluten free, Health Articles

Gluten-Free foods increasing your cancer risk?

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Those of you who know me, know that I am a gluten-free foodie, and I have been for years. I have watched hundreds of people change their health and their life around simply by eliminating this one type of food from their diet.

 

Recently, as I was walking down the gluten-free isle at the grocery store and reading label after label, It occurred to me that many people may not know how UNHEALTHY many of these gluten-free foods really are. In fact, many formulated gluten-free foods are loaded with artificial colorings, sweeteners, sugar, fillers, binders, and GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) ingredients!

 

Isn’t the point of switching to a gluten-free diet to switch to a healthier lifestyle and heal the digestive tract? Well, unfortunately with these types of foods, there will not be much healing going on, and some of your symptoms may even get worse!

 

Today, I want to point out to you exactly what to look for when reading a gluten-free label and give you some great suggestions that will help you out the next time you go to the supermarket.

 

INGREDIENTS TO LOOK OUT FOR

 

  • CORN, SOY, CANOLA, & DERIVATIVES OF THESE FOODS (corn flour, corn syrup, soy protien isolate, etc…)

    • If a food product contains any of these ingredients, it MUST be labeled GMO-FREE, NON-GMO, or 100% ORGANIC. This ensures that even though the company may use one of these foods, it is a clean, non-GMO source.

 

  • SUGAR, ASPARTAME, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SUCRALOSE, SUCROSE, DEXTROSE

    • All of the above are either sugar or an artificial sweetener. A small amount of REAL evaporated cane juice, or sugar in small amounts in my opinion is ok in small portions. But, read those labels, because many gluten-free foods are loaded with sugar. Make sure you read the serving size. It may say only 5 grams of sugar, but that’s per tablespoon, so when you eat 1 cup of the product, you’re getting a sugar overload. Artificial sweeteners are even worse as they can damage the pancreas, are proven neurotoxins (kill brain cells), and damage the gut. Here is more info on the link between sugar and cancer. http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/nutrition/sugar.htm
    • Make sure you choose a food that is has no sugar, is low in sugar or uses natural alternatives such as coconut sugar, stevia, erythritol, or non-GMO xylitol.

 

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So, next time you’re in the gluten-free isle shopping for your favorite foods, make sure to watch out for these ingredients to make the best choices for you and your family. Here are some brands committed to the NON-GMO project that may help you navigate your way through the store- http://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/search-participating-products/.

To make things easier, eat simple whole foods such as organic veggies, cultured foods and drinks, low-glycemic fruits, clean animal protein, raw organic dairy, sprouted nuts and seeds, and grain-like seeds such as quinoa, millet, amaranth, & buckwheat!

 

Stay tuned tomorrow for more on gluten sensitivity & Celiac’s disease!

In Health, Hope, & Happiness,

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Cleanse, Health Articles

Costco Hepatitis A Berries- What To Do

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I’m sure by now many of you have heard about the outbreak of Hepatitis A linked to Costco’s Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend Frozen Berries. I find it both sad and convenient for two different reasons. Sad of course because so many people who are trying to eat healthier and spend extra to specifically purchase the organic mixed berries bag instead of the regular ones, are now disheartened. And convenient because this incidence not only makes organic foods look unsafe, but it was the perfect reason to push the Hepatitis A Vaccine at everyone and their mother, and conveniently for free of course!

I know we all have different opinions on vaccines, and I save my thoughts for those who really want to hear them. Today, I want to share with you my recommendations for what to do if you have eaten some of these berries and potentially been exposed to the Hep A virus.

 

1. DON’T FREAK OUT

  • Let’s face the reality that what’s done is done. Stressing out about what happened is not going to help anything, but actually decrease your immune system instead, so be calm and by integrating the recommendations below know that you are empowering your body to overcome just about any virus, not just Hep A! How cool is that!

2. Cut out the immune system offenders

  • You have a machine inside of you that is the MOST powerful tool against viruses, cancers, diseases, pain, etc…it’s your IMMUNE SYSTEM. When we fall prey to one of these “bad guys” it’s usually because our immune system isn’t working properly and has become too burdened by toxins. Here are some of the top Immune System Offenders…
    • SUGAR- Read labels!
    • GLUTEN- Damages the gut (where 80% of the immune system is), turns into sugar right after you eat it, and encourages inflammation.
    • “DIRTY” DAIRY- regular pasteurized dairy is FULL of nasty things you don’t even want to know about, so just trust me on this one! It increases mucous formation in the gut and is inflammatory in the body.
    • GMO Foods- (Genetically Modified Organisms)  My brotha/sista, if you don’t know about this, you need to start reading! These dangerous franken-foods have the ability to splice your DNA, give you cancers, grow tumors, and make you sterile for life! NOTHING to mess around with!
    • TOXIC CHEMICALS ON YOUR SKIN!- These go directly into the blood stream, so PLEASE be careful what you put on your skin and switch over to non-toxic alternatives

3. SUNRIDER FOODS

  •  If you haven’t read the testimony I recently posted about a man who was able to completely get rid of his Hepatitis-C & liver failure, PLEASE READ IT HERE!
  • As you have heard me say before, the Sunrider Foods are THE MOST amazing tools I have EVER food to heal our bodies. Since Hepatitis can affect the liver, consuming 1-pitcher of Calli tea daily will be very helpful to cleanse this virus from the body. Quinary will support the 5-major systems: digestive, endocrine (hormonal), respiratory, circulatory, & immune- simultaneously ensuring you are functioning in tip-top shape. NuPlus will give your body the energy it needs to make the necessary improvements. And 1 more special tool you may want to add is called Alpha-20-C. This is the “immune system” component of Quinary and is formulated specifically to increase your defenses against outside invaders. I have heard UNREAL stories about terminal cancer patients, and very ill people taking high levels of this and becoming completely healed. This is NO JOKE yo!

4. Increase your probiotic foods & beverages

  • 80% of the immune system is in the gut, remember? Healing your gut is IMPERATIVE to have a killer immune system and optimal health. Probiotic foods & drinks such as raw cultured sauerkraut (with culture like Body Ecology) and Inner Eco or Body Ecology’s Cocobiotics are phenomenal to heal the body and raise your body’s defenses.

5. Get in the sun

  • Don’t be afraid of the sun, the sun is your friend and like a machine gun against invaders in the body. Try to get in the sun for atleast 20 minutes per day with a good amount of your body exposed and NO sunscreen. After those 20 minutes, you can put on a 30 SPF  NON-TOXIC sunscreen to prevent burning, because we don’t want that either. 🙂

6. Get plenty of rest & hydrate

  • And as usual, make sure you’re sleeping well and staying hydrated with pure mineral rich water. You should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water, so…if you weigh 150lbs, you should be drinking 75oz of water per day. That is NO 8-8oz cups is it? 🙂 Dehydration is a massive stressor on the body, so pay attention to that. 🙂 And try to get at least 7 hours of good sleep each night if you can.

7. Homeopathic Hepatitis A Nosode

  • This is something you may have never heard of before, but in homeopathic medicine (the most effective, non-toxic medicine on the planet!), you can get what is called a nosode of a particular virus or illness. The Nosode works as all homeopathic remedies do to help your body get rid of the condition. If you are diagnosed with Hep A or are very concerned you may get it, you can look into this option as well. http://www.elixirs.com/products.cfm?productcode=S97F

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I hope these recommendations help put your mind at ease and know you are not helpless in these situations. If you have any questions, you can always comment below or send me an email- Jessica@JessicaLopezRN.com. I go through healing the body at a foundational level in all of my programs, which includes the above and MUCH more at a slow pace so you can actually integrate it into your lifestyle. 🙂

Have an amazing day friends!!!

In Health, Hope, & Happiness,

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Health Articles, sunrider, Testimonies

Conquered Cancer & Regenerated His Liver with NO Chemo or Rads!

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I would like to share with you an AMAZING story about a Cancer Conqueror who was given a life-changing cancer diagnosis and BEAT it in total amazement to the doctors! 

-THIS TESTIMONY WAS TAKEN OFF OF WWW.REGENERATEYOURBODY.COM-

Few people would think of my husband as the typical alternative medicine user. He preferred meat and potatoes to vegetarian fare. He headed straight to conventional medical doctors when he was sick. He was a conservative 50-year-old director of counseling at a large church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was also a colon cancer patient and a soon-to-be firm believer in Sunrider nutritional products as an alternative medicinal treatment to chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

When Doug’s cancer was diagnosed in 1993, the tumor was so large it nearly closed off his colon. After a colon resection the outlook was not good. The cancer had permeated the wall of the colon and was also found in his lymph nodes along with several small tumors in his lower abdomen. Chemotherapy and radiation were prescribed as post-surgery treatments. Even with chemo and radiation, the doctors could not promise that the cancer would not return.

When you hear a diagnosis like that, it’s like a stake driven through your heart. Even with our faith in God, we felt vulnerable and very helpless. Doug underwent a colon resection followed by one year of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. During that year, Doug began to investigate alternative treatments to chemo and radiation. He began treatments from a naturopathic doctor but four years later the cancer metastasized in his liver. The tumor in his liver was the size of an orange. Surgery was performed once again and the tumor removed. This time, even though chemotherapy was once again prescribed, Doug decided against it. All of his research pointed to nutrition and building his immune system as the “key” to fighting this disease.

I translated his decision as a death sentence. Doug urged me to read the books and information that had transformed his thinking. We became vegan vegetarians. Dairy, meat of any kind and eggs were eliminated from our diet. We were introduced to Sunrider foods and encouraged by a woman (named Faith) to begin eating these foods to bring his body into balance and eventually allow it to fight against the cancer cells. Faith had been walking free from lymphoma cancer for four years at that time, eating Sunrider products (six years at this point) with no chemotherapy treatments. She explained Sunrider nutritional herbs are designed to boost the immune system and inhibit the cancer cell growth and even shrink existing tumors.

Three months after our introduction to Sunrider, cancer was found again in his liver, exactly where it had metastasized before. Surgery and chemo were once again encouraged. Doug immediately began eating 100 times the normal amount of Sunrider’s Alpha 20C, specifically for boosting the immune system until the time of his surgery and for quite some time after. We chose to go to M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Center in Houston and have the tumor removed. Two-thirds of Doug’s liver was removed along with the tumor. He continued to eat the Sunrider foods and refrained from chemo or radiation treatments. When the tumor was removed, it had already shrunk and was encapsulated, proving his immune system was attacking the cancer cells and eating away at the tumor.

One of Doug’s doctors at M.D. Anderson, told him to continue eating the herbal foods from Sunrider. After examining the contents of NuPlus the Doctor exclaimed, “There is nothing in this that can hurt him – it’s just food!” Doug did not eat the hospital food – he ate only Sunrider foods. After eating Sunrider for only six months, his doctor told him he had the respiratory system of a 30-year-old. He was released from the hospital earlier than anticipated. His liver regenerated in 4 weeks and the cancer has not returned.

“Chinese herbs can maximize the functions of a person’s immune system and improve overall health,” practitioners insist.
We believe in the quality of Sunrider products and trust the integrity of the company to produce safe herbal products for people like us. I have had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Tei Fu Chen who is a pharmacist and herbologist. Dr. Chen’s wife, Oi-Lin is a western-trained physician. The Chen’s herbal formulas are from 5,000 year-old Chinese herbal formulas handed down from his ancestors. He has taken these formulas, condensed them and is able to offer them in as pure a form as the old Chinese methods when the herbs were cooked, the fiber discarded, and the remaining liquid drank for ailments of all kinds.

In a radical change from just a few years ago, many doctors now say it is perfectly fine for cancer patients to try other things. What do complimentary therapies offer the cancer patient? Practitioners say these therapies can abate the side effects of other treatments, such as nausea. They can improve the quality of life by reducing stress, anxiety and pain. Perhaps most important, they can alleviate the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness so common among cancer patients. Many people, of course, also are hoping that these therapies will alter the course of the disease, even if they have not been proven by western medicine to do so.

Sunrider does not claim to have the cure for disease. However, special formulas of Chinese herbal nutritional products are known to build the immune system, thus providing the body with fuel to fight the disease itself. And that’s what Sunrider does best!

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It’s SO amazing what the body can overcome when given the right tools. I’ve experienced it for myself and now want to SHOUT IT FROM THE MOUNTAIN TOPS!!!!

I would absolutely LOVE to talk with you about the exciting opportunity for optimum health in the Sunrider foods and answer any questions you may have! Email me anytime at Jessica@JessicaLopezRN.com.

Want to learn more?

Check out more about Sunrider here- Sunrider Info

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR SUNRIDER FACEBOOK COMMUNITY!

In Health, Hope, & Happiness,

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Health Articles

7 Solutions for Nausea & Vomiting

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In my 4-month program, “The Empowered Woman”, I am beginning to do case studies with my group. In these case studies, we take a situation which we will all encounter at one point or another with ourselves or our family’s, and I walk them through my thought process and how I would immediately go about remedying the situation.

The other day we did one on nausea & vomiting. This week, I thought I’d give you a sneak peek into what these ladies are learning and share my solutions with you on this particular situation.

With the resources I have, here is what I would do if myself or a family member was experiencing nausea or vomiting…

1. Find the right homeopathic remedy.

This is tough to do without some education in homeopathy. Homeopathy is INCREDIBLE…BUT.. if you choose the wrong remedy it will not help at all. You see, with homeopathy, there may be 10 people who are all experiencing nausea & vomiting, but if they are caused by different symptoms, they all will need a different remedy. It all depends on looking at the whole picture. A remedy for food poisoning is different than a remedy for motion sickness which is different from a remedy for nausea with anxiety. To make matters simple. Here are some of the top nausea/vomiting remedies. For dosing, I would do 3 pellets every 15 minutes for the first hour and then slowly spread it out to 3 pellets every 30 minutes…then every hour…every two hours…etc. as needed.

Ipecac- for general nausea & vomiting
Arsenicum Album- For food poisoning & “traveler’s diarrhea” usually with accompanying anxiety.
Nux Vomica- For nausea, stomach pain, bloating, headache, usually from overdoing it with food or alcohol.

2. Drink Fortune Delight

Fortune Delight is an herbal beverage from the company Sunrider. I ALWAYS have Fortune Delight on hand because it is my “go-to” tool when I eat something that doesn’t settle write, feel sick to my stomach, or have any digestive issues. It ALWAYS helps me. For someone who is vomiting, it is particularly beneficial because it helps restore electrolyte balance and prevent severe dehydration. My favorite way to drink it is usually warm with 1/2 of a lemon squeezed into it and sweetened with stevia. Drink this as much as you’d like to help with digestive discomfort.

 

3. DON’T USE SPRITE & SALTINES!

 

I know…I know…I was raised being given these two by my nana when I had an upset stomach. Sprite however is LOADED with sugar as you know, which will feed infection and heavily strain the immune system, and Saltines are packed with severely damaging hydrogenated oils, refined salt, and bleached nutrient depleted flours that will make the body very unhappy.

What to use INSTEAD…Homemade “Sprite”- Find some sparkling mineral water in a glass bottle and add fresh lemon or lime juice, depending on the amount of water you can add 1-2 lemons or limes. Sweeten with stevia (preferably Sunrider’s Sunnydew stevia for added nutrient benefits). You can also use raw honey instead but it is difficult to mix into cold beverages. You have just made a DELICIOUS homemade sprite!Instead of Saltines, use gluten-free crackers or toast. Sprinkle some Himalayan salt on the crackers or toast. The high quality salt will help replenish minerals that may have been lost due to vomiting.

 

4. Aloe Pulp or Herbal Aloe Force

 

Aloe. Is. Amazing. It is such a soothing and healing tool God put on this earth for us to use. Unfortunately there are thousands of aloe products out there that are filled with JUNK. This is why I only recommend either purchasing an aloe plant and squeezing out the pulp from the leaves and consuming it this way, or going with Herbal Aloe Force. There may be other great aloe products out there that I am not aware of. All I know is that I don’t want any harmful added ingredients and I don’t want it pasteurized or all of the nutrients will be killed. Consume as needed.

 

5. Look at the Liver/Gallbladder

If your nausea and/or vomiting is a chronic issue that happens more than every once and a while, then we need to look at the root of the problem and figure out what the cause is. The cause is NEVER a medication deficiency. Sure, medication may help put a bandaid on the symptoms, but you have to remember symptoms are a blessing! They tell us when something is wrong so we could fix it. Pain for instance is a huge blessing. If we couldn’t feel pain, we would never know if our hand is burning because we placed it on a hot stove. See my point? Liver congestion may be the culprit behind chronic nausea. Those of you who wake up each morning nauseous and usually avoid breakfast because the thought of it makes you sick…that’s usually because your liver is a bit congested. Our liver detoxes itself throughout the night and when it’s full of toxins, sometimes it will make you sick. Drink some warm water with fresh lemon juice every morning, first thing to help stimulate liver function. Also try not to eat a super heavy dinner late at night. This will give your liver a better chance to do it’s magic. Cleaning up your diet is also key.

 

6. Re-mineralize the Body

Many times the body becomes depleted in minerals when sick, especially when vomiting. Restoring this mineral & electrolyte balance is key to keeping the body strong. You can do this in a variety of ways:

  • Put a pinch of Himalayan Salt on the tongue.
  • Drink fresh young thai coconut water (from the coconut).
  • Take a mineral supplement such as Sunwarrior’s liquid light.

 

7. Down the Probiotics

No matter what the cause of your nausea & vomiting, there is something going on in your gut. Probiotics come in to help sweep out the bad guys and get you better faster. One of my favorite sources of a strong probiotic is Inner-Eco. It is not only FULL of strong probiotics, but minerals as well! I personally would drink the entire bottle as you can.

 

 

 

 

If your nausea/vomiting does not go away you may consider going to a good naturopathic doctor and if it is serious, please don’t hesitate to go to the ER. I hope you find these tips helpful!!

 

In Health, Hope, & Happiness,

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Health Articles

10 Causes of Infertility

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6.7 MILLION WOMEN IN THE U.S. STRUGGLE WITH INFERTILITY.

     Infertility rates have reached an all time high. U.S. birth rates have hit a record low that has destroyed families all over the nation. What is it that is causing this widespread epidemic?

     Every time a problem arises, we must find the cause. Unfortunately, the American mentality for some reason tends to avoid this common sense reasoning and focuses solely on looking for a “cure”. Sure, a cure is a wonderful thing to find, but in my opinion we are wasting so much of our resources looking for a “cure” for cancer, infertility, diabetes, obesity, etc, but we are completely avoiding looking at the common sense CAUSES of these issues.

     This week I wanted to highlight some of the main causes of infertility to help prevent more families from dealing with this heartbreaking condition, and if you have been diagnosed with infertility issues, hopefully these steps will help give you a guideline of healing what may be the root cause of your struggles.

1. Endocrine Disruptors

  • There are certain chemicals in our foods, plastics, and cosmetics that mimic estrogen and wreak havoc on the body, especially our hormones and fertility. Read more here…

2. Hormonal Imbalance

  • PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), Endometriosis, Metabolic Syndrome (AKA Syndrome X), all of these common disorders that effecting fertility are related to hormonal imbalance in the body. We MUST learn how to balance all of our hormones via the adrenal glands, thyroid, sex organs, flush bad estrogens out of the body, and create a fertility friendly environment in both women AND men to increase odds of pregnancy. This is one area I go into detail in with The Empowered Woman program.

3. Chronic stress

  • Stress jacks up our hormones and creates a very hostile environment for pregnancy. Stress directly impacts our hormones, and our entire body goes into crisis mode. Think about running from a bear. When this happens, your adrenal glands kick in, your hormones shoot through the roof to make you run faster than ever and get you out of this potentially fatal situation. Now think about the bears in your life that are causing those same hormones to be released. When you’re running from a bear, the last thing your body is thinking about is “oh, let’s get pregnant right now!”.

4. Toxic Diet

  • What we eat is incredibly imperative to the health of a future child, even before conception. Eat organic whenever possible, eat whole foods, remove the main damaging foods such as gluten, dirty dairy, sugar, and processed foods, and start eating nutrient dense superfoods to boost fertility in both partners. Click on the following infertility culprits for more info.

5. Over Exercise

  • This may be a surprise, but overexercising can easily impact a woman’s menstrual cycle to the point where she doesn’t have one. If you are trying to get pregnant, it is important to have a healthy exercise routine that will keep you in shape, but not push your body too hard. Read more here…

6. Low sperm count

  • There are many factors attacking male sperm in our culture. Electromagnetic radiation from cell phones, computers, laptops, & i pads have shown to significantly reduce sperm count, medications, drugs, tobacco, environmental toxins such as creams, soaps, and colognes, and toxic foods all have been shown to impact sperm production and longevity. Read More Here…& Here

7. Environmental toxins

  • The chemicals in our household are some of the most dangerous to our health. We breathe and bathe in these endocrine disrupting, fertility busting toxins and without even knowing it is decreasing our fertility. Clean up your environment and DETOX YOUR BODY to give you and your growing family a healthy start! Read more here…

8. An over or under active immune system

  • Healing the immune system via healing the digestive system (remember 80% of the immune system is within the digestive tract), is critically important in preventing miscarriage and increasing fertility. An out of balance immune system can lead to multiple issues with pregnancy. Having a healthy digestive system free of candida is also one of the BEST things you can do before getting pregnant as your candida issues will most definitely be passed onto the baby.

9. Nutrient & mineral deficiency

  • When mom or dad to be are deficient in multiple vitamins and minerals, it makes growing another human being much more difficult. My recommendation is to get on the Sunrider foods ASAP. I have heard numerous stories about couples struggling with infertility, even who went through IVF and were unsuccesful, but via the Sunrider foods were able to conceive a healthy baby.

10. Radiation

  • Ever wonder why they make you wear those lead covered vests when you go get an X-Ray? All of the radiation in CT scans (which are some of the worst), X-Rays, MRI’s, etc put us at risk for infertility issues in both men and women, so try to avoid them as much as possible. That also means opting out of the full body scanner at the airport. Read more here…

Another great article: http://business.time.com/2012/10/04/why-the-falling-u-s-birth-rates-are-so-troubling/

 

Infertility can be heartbreaking. If you are at a place where you are thinking about starting a family, PLEASE take these 10 factors into consideration. The health of our future generations depends on it. Together we can raise a strong, healthy future generation.

If you are OVERWHELMED by all of this “health stuff” and need someone to take you through it step by step and figure out exactly what YOUR BODY NEEDS. Let’s talk! I offer private 75-Min health consultations for only $100 where we cover every system in your body, environmental toxins, and mental/emotional health. It’s perfect to get a clear snapshot on the areas in your life that need the most TLC. You can also look into my 120-Day women’s health training where I am empowered women around the globe to live at optimized health & wellness-Physically, Mentally, & Spiritually! We have a blast doing it too!

In Health Hope & Happiness,

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Health Articles, Holiday Recipes, Recipes

Valentines Day Special: Toxic Treats or Loads of Love

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Hooray 2 days until Valentines day!!

I don’t know about you, but in my family, Valentines day has always been a MASSIVE holiday. One of the first conversations my mom had with my husband (new boyfriend at the time) was just how big of a deal Valentine’s day was and his responsibilities as the love in my life..haha. Poor guy. 🙂

Although Valentine’s Day can be a super fun day, it can also be incredibly toxic. Do you know what Cancer’s #1 Favorite food is?…..SUGAR!

Are you trying to love on your sweetheart or feed their cancer cells? Probably the first one, right? So, today I want to give you a few ideas and tips on how to show that special someone you care this year without harming them in the process.

 

Natural Aphrodisiacs

Obviously this day is a day of romance & love. Instead of giving toxic treats that will actually inhibit your loved one’s senses, energy, & libido, why not enhance them with natural aphrodisiacs? In today’s society, we are rushed and stressed to the max, leaving many marriages depleted of passion and energy in the bedroom Here are some ideas to relight the fire:

  • Cinnamon: Increases body heat & circulation.
  • Celery: Contains two chemicals — androsterone and adrostenol — which serve as a sexual attractant when ingested.
  • Avocado: The Aztecs called the avocado tree “Ahuacuatl,” which translates to “testicle tree.” Known for it’s aphrodisiac properties for thousands of years.
  • Ginger: Increases circulation & body temperature.
  • Chocolate: NOT the kind you’re thinking! 🙂 Organic, raw dark chocolate is the best kind you can get, igniting your sexual desire without adding to the muffin top. Chocolate stimulates the feel-good hormone dopamine in your brain and releases the same hormones as your body produces during sex. Get 73% cacao or darker for best results.
  • Pomegranates: Increase circulation and sensitivity.

Learn about more here: http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2011/10/03/25-foods-that-are-natural-aphrodisiacs/

Opt-out of Toxic Treats and Choose…

  • Organic Low-Sugar/ Sugar-free sweets
    • Instead of the typical candy-hearts if you want to get some sweets, it’s perfectly fine, just get high quality ones. Here are some examples:
  • Homemade Goodies
    • Homemade raw superfood chocolates- Find the recipe in my Superfood Infused Holiday Recipe Collection
    • Homemade gluten-free and sugar-free or naturally sweetened treats such as cupcakes, brownies, chocolate cake, etc.
    • Make a homemade “Edible Arrangement” with organic fruit! Cut shapes with a small cookie cutter if you’d like, get a Styrofoam ball, skewers, a basket or cute bucket to put it all in and create away!

Gifts Ideas For Men

  • Romantic homemade gift-certificates for massage, a date night, etc.
  • An engraved watch
  • Supplements good for male health such as Testrovida or Restore the Yang.
  • Tools or handyman toys
  • A hotel night away

Gifts Ideas For Women

  • Romantic homemade gift-certificates for doing the laundry, watching the kids, a massage, etc.
  • Gift card for her favorite store.
  • Jewelery
  • A romantic hotel getaway
  • Flowers
  • A salon day
  • A 1-hour Consultation with me! 🙂

 

I hope this helps in your Valentine’s day celebration. Even if you don’t have a special sweetheart, celebrate LOVE with family & friends. Remember, it’s all about your heart and being intentional about the time you spend with your loved ones. This year show your loved ones how much you mean to them by protecting them from the yuck out there! I want to know what you’re planning and what your plans are for Valentines day. 🙂 Leave a comment below! 

In Health, Hope, & Happiness,

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Me & my Valentine 3.5 years ago.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13

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Health Articles, Superfoods

How to “Healthify” Your Husband

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Hahaha…

I can already see the excitement in all you lady health-nuts out there when you saw the title of this article! If you are a woman passionate about things like spirulina, superfoods, green smoothies, coffee enemas, grounding mats, and homemade sauerkraut, you have probably seen an eye-roll or two from your significant other. Maybe it’s even been the source of many arguments. In your mind, all you want is for them to be healthy and take care of themselves, right? If we really think about those arguments, the truth comes out and we really just want to make them male versions of ourselves!

Hey honey, do you want to go walk barefoot on the grass together so we can get grounded and then come back and do couples coffee enemas followed by a probiotic superfood green smoothie and wheat grass shots??

HA! Well, maybe some of you DO have significant others who would LOVE to do this with you, and that is awesome!!! But if I said that to my husband he would look at me with those beautiful big brown eyes and laugh as he continues playing his videogame. Don’t get me wrong, I am INCREDIBLY BLESSED with the best husband I could ever ask for! He is AMAZING and actually the one who inspired me to write this article! But, usually it’s him taking pictures of me getting grounded hugging trees, not vice versa.

Health is my passion and calling in life, so it’s only natural for me to want him to enjoy all of it’s benefits! However, I’ve realized that health is MY passion and it’s normal that he doesn’t get as excited about a new bottle of Inner-Eco and a big box of Sunrider Foods as I do! Just like I don’t start yelling GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL at the top of my lungs when Atletico Madrid scores the winning goal! We have different passions, and that’s awesome! It’s part of the beauty of a relationship! So, I had to let many of my nutzo nazi ways go and just let him be him. Letting go of the nagging tendencies and just loving on him was the best thing I could ever do. Today I went into the kitchen and he was downing a superfood shot! To me that is way more special than a dozen roses any day!

It is so important in a relationship to respect each others opinions and desires on certain things, even when you don’t agree. But it just as important to value what your partner values. I sit and watch sports with him and he takes superfood shots with me. It’s a beautiful relationship and I can honestly say I LOVE every day of our adventure together. Over the past 7 years together, I’ve learned some tricks of how to “healthify” my husband, and I thought I’d share them with you in hopes that it will help all you nutty women out there!

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-10 Tips to “Healthify” Your Husband-

 

10. Always have healthy alternatives.

  • It’s really hard to try to get anyone in your family to eat healthy if you don’t have healthy options for them. Maybe you used to be a twinkies, snickers, pepsi, pizza, doritos, & hot pockets family and now you want to transition to less lethal food. That’s GREAT! The first step is to replace all the junk with similar alternatives and get the junk out of the house. If you have time and creativity, you can make alot of these alternatives at home! There are TONS of recipes for gluten-free, sugar-free cookies, donuts, candy bars, etc. If you don’t have the time or will power, you can head into a health food store and look for some good alternatives. Here are some examples: Zevita or Blue Sky Free soda in stead of regular soda, Kombucha 2000 Multigreen instead of beer, gluten-free snacks and treats instead of regular cookies or crackers, organic blue-corn tortilla chips instead of regular ones, make homemade grass-fed burgers instead of McDonalds, Quinoa pasta instead of the regular, gluten-free english muffins instead of wonderbread, gluten-free frozen pizzas instead of regular ones, Kombucha instead of beer, and organic dark chocolate instead of traditional candy. EVERYTHING has a healthy and delicious alternative! 🙂

9. Find delicious healthy recipes and make them.

  • One reason why many people don’t even try to eat healthier is because they have this preconceived notion that it will be miserable and taste like cardboard! I don’t blame them for thinking that since they are usually judging by the taste of the synthetic high fiber cereals and crap-loaded protein bars that DO taste like cardboard. You have to show your hubs and your family that eating REAL food IS delicious! So, take a few of his favorite dishes and re-do them with healthy ingredients. Or make new recipes that you know he’ll love and wait to tell him it’s healthy until AFTER he devours it. 🙂 Soon enough he will see that eating healthy not only tastes great, but makes him FEEL great too!

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8. Hide superfoods and vegetables in traditional dishes.

  • In the beginning stages especially, this is one of the best ways to sneak nutrition into your husband and your family. 🙂 I used to love reading the cookbook, “Deceptively Delicious”! It’s all about sneaking vegetables into classic recipes. Since I don’t do gluten or pasteurized dairy, I would twist the recipes even more, and it sparked something within me to find every way to sneak healthy foods into not so healthy dishes. Mac n’ cheese is a GREAT example! Traditional Mac n’ Cheese from the box as completely toxic and loaded with junk. But, homemade mac n’ cheese made with quinoa pasta and a homemade cheese sauce that combines a cauliflower puree and Daiya Vegan Cheese or raw cheese….now THAT is genius! Another one of my favorite things is to sneak in homemade or raw sauerkraut into their smoothies! Make them a delicious tasting smoothie and add a huge scoop of sauerkraut! They won’t even taste the difference and they’ll be getting LOADS of immune boosting nutrients & probiotics! Also try to integrate vegetables into every meal, whether it’s a salad with steak, veggies with an omelet, or roasted veggies with fish, the more veggies you can integrate the better off everyone will be!

7. Bribe him 😉

  • As his wife…I’m sure you can use your imagination on this one! 🙂 Buy him a new toy or have a special date night to tell him how much you appreciate him valuing his health and integrating these new things. Positive reinforcement is powerful ladies!

6. Exercise together.

  • Every man loves to see a hot and sweaty wife! Get active together. Go hiking, swimming, skiing, jogging, or whatever else would be fun to do together. If you’d rather not exercise together, then make a deal together that you both will go to the gym every day or at 3pm every day you go do an Insanity video and he goes to the garage to do P90X! Keeping each other accountable and enjoying getting fit together is a great relationship strengthener!

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5. Help him protect his prostate.

  • Pretty much every man wants to avoid prostate issues, and the majority of the time all prostate issues can be 100% avoided! This has everything to do with his lifestyle, nutrition, stress levels, environmental toxins, etc, and the more he does now, the happier you both will be in the long term. Maybe find some articles to show him or find a moment when it’s right to talk about it. You both can be protecting your vital organs. Breast cancer and prostate cancer now effect between 1 in 2 & 1 in 3 Americans. Those rates are ALARMING! Make a decision together to change your lifestyle so you don’t become one of these statistics. Work with someone who can take a comprehensive look at your entire mind-body status and educate you about environmental toxins and the top things to do in order to protect these areas. For those who work with me in my health programs, you will get all of this life-saving information and help implementing it into your life in no time!

4. Buy him good-smelling toiletries.

  • There are WAY too many men walking around with high levels of estrogen these days and one of the major factors contributing to that are all of the men’s toiletries LOADED with xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens are chemicals that mimic estrogen and enter the body usually through the skin. Our skin is our largest organ, and everything we put on it goes straight into our blood stream. Nice, huh? One of my favorite non-toxic men’s brands is Every Man Jack. They have everything and it smells amazing! You can purchase this brand at some regular stores, health food stores, and for sure on my amazon store. 🙂

3. Don’t be a nag.

  • THIS is where we all get into trouble isn’t it? This used to be a weakness of mine, but thankfully I have gotten much, much better! We want SO bad for our husband or our family for that matter to know all that we know and do all that we do so they can feel great and protect themselves from future illness! Our heart is right, but our actions and words end up pushing our loved ones away and making our “healthy lifestyle” the enemy! The BEST thing we can do is to be a loving example in our own lives and help our family to make better choices. It’s different with your kids than it is with your husband. You are not called to be his mom and order him around. You are called to be his wife, his partner in life, his encourager and to lift him up with your words and respect him as your man. When we get after them day after day after day about every little thing, it gets old! I totally get that! So, do all you can to love your man no matter what and through that love show him a better way of living through your actions.

2. Help him create a routine.

  • Routine ALWAYS helps! My mom & pops are super busy working and with their lives, but every morning they have a routine. They wake up and make their Sunrider smoothie and their gallon of Calli tea before they head out the door. It is as routine as brushing their teeth and keeps them super strong all day. Help your man create a routine to get his nutrients in. Maybe that is a smoothie every morning, or a superfood shot every evening. Whatever he prefers, creating a daily routine really helps to remember to get in the greens!

1. Teach him how to make superfood shots!

  • Honestly, my husband does not like smoothies, so me trying to force a green smoothie down him every day just doesn’t work. What we found DOES work instead though is a superfood shot! Does it taste good? NO WAY! BUT it is much more convenient and is over in about 10 seconds! Take a shot glass or a small cup and mix in your favorite superfoods. We use: Quinary, chlorella, spirulina, maca powder, Reishi powder, magnesium powder, and sometimes vitamin C. He mixes it up in a small amount of liquid and downs it and then does sort of a manly grunt after because it tastes SO gross! Honestly, I was so impressed when I first saw him doing this! Not even I could handle the taste and that’s a big deal! Maybe this will work for your man better than hounding him with salads and smoothies all the time?

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    My Studly Man supporting the green mustache and grossed out face after his superfood shot.

I hope you enjoyed these tips! Do you have a special trick you use to keep your guys strong and healthy? If so, share below!

In Health, Hope, & Happiness,

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For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

~ Psalm 84:11

 

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Health Articles, Uncategorized

Clogged Tubes? The Top 10 Culprits of Constipation

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Being the beginning of the year, many of you are determined to live a healthier life & lose weight, so I thought I’d talk about one of the huge factors that may be standing in the way of getting rid of the ole’ tire around the waste. Yep, we’re getting real. We’re getting personal. We’re talking about poop! In nursing school, I was taught that anywhere between having a BM (bowel movement) 3 times per day to every 3 days was considered “normal”. Sorry nursing school, but that just can’t be right. Think about it. How many times do we eat??? ATLEAST 3 times, and for most people it is 3 meals and 3 snacks. How does it make sense for us to eat that much food and only eliminate once every 3 days? That’s just silly! The truth is, optimally, we should be going to the bathroom atleast 3 times per day. I know…I know…you’re thinking, Jessica Angelina Lopez, you are CRAZY! I promise I’m not trippin guys. It’s true! For OPTIMAL health, to feel your best, have lasting energy, clear skin, a healthy liver, a flawless digestive tract, this is what should be happening.

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Here are the TOP 10 reasons our tubes get clogged…

1. Magnesium Deficiency-

Magnesium is ESSENTIAL for smooth muscle contraction, including the heart and the wave like motion (called peristalsis) that pushes food through the digestive tract. A deficiency leads to poor digestive function including constipation.

2. Leaky-Gut Syndrome-

This refers to an intestinal wall with microscopic holes in it from yeast, fungal, and parasite damage from a poor diet and candida overgrowth. Small particles of food and toxins get through these holes causing a myriad of problems in the body, and one of them being constipation. Unfortunately constipation also causes leaky gut syndrome, and it must be dealt with immediately- This is where my epic health programs come in!!

3. Lazy Colon-

Have you ever tried laxatives or even natural herbs and herbal teas such as cascara sagrada and senna leaf? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but all of those options are no good for solving the problem of constipation. Unfortunately back in the day I was a victim of these teas and colon cleanses that force the colon to expel. When you use these methods, especially over a long period of time, your colon basically says “screw you”, and stops working on it’s own, hence the term “lazy colon”. The only way to retrain your colon is through a series of colonics or colon hydrotherapy.

4. Lack of fiber-

You MUST get in loads of fiber on a daily basis. We are NOT talking about Metamucil or the average fiber chews you get at Walmart. I’m talking about REAL FOOD FIBER! Chia seeds, flax seeds, the 4 seed-like grains (quinoa, millet, amaranth, buckwheat), lots of vegetables and some low-sugar fruits, and some approved fiber products from trusted sources such as Renew Life, Garden of Life, or Dr. Mercola.

5. Lack of fat-

“But Jessica, I’m trying to lose fat!”, Oh I know! BUT EATING GOOD FAT IS KEY TO LOSING BAD FAT! Especially when it comes to cleaning your colon. Think of it as oiling up the tubes. Let’s just say it keeps things sailing smoothly. 🙂

6. Clogged Liver & Gallbladder

If your liver and gallbladder are clogged up, it will be nearly impossible to have a functioning digestive system and even harder to lose weight. It is CRUCIAL to take care of these organs. In my health coaching programs, such as The Empowered Woman, I safely teach each person how to cleanse their liver and gallbladder. It is built into my programs to ensure each person is ready for this step. Cleansing and detoxing CAN BE DANGEROUS! So, make sure if you do this, you are working with someone who knows your body very well and can tell if you are ready or not.

 7. Hormone Imbalance–

There is alot to know when it comes to hormonal balance and it dramatically affects your metabolism and digestive system. If your adrenal glands are shot and your thyroid is slow, you will nearly always struggle with constipation. It is ESSENTIAL to support these areas, and when you do…whoa nelly will you see an improvement in your life!

8. Candida-

Oh Candida how I loathe thee…I cannot tell you how THANKFUL I am to have all the tools I need to keep candida in it’s place, and that is NOT in my body! Candia Albicans is a bacteria from the devil that can completely take over your body causing you to feel all sorts of bad things from serious digestive disease, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, foggy head, indigestion, severe fatigue, adrenal exhaustion, endometriosis, infertility…I mean really, it’s bad news bears. This is one of the TOP reasons for constipation. Ridding the body of it is a complex process, but can always be beat, I don’t care what your situation is. This is where I come in to battle with you in the trenches. Together we can DEFEAT candida! 🙂

9.Dehydration-

A dehydrated gut will not work. Period. Shoot, a dehydrated body will not work! DRINK WATER PEOPLE! And not just any water. You need to be drinking fresh alkaline spring water to be exact. This is SO important, that I devote an ENTIRE week to water in my program!

10. Stress-

What happens when you get nervous? What do you feel in your stomach? Knots? Butterflies? Sick to your stomach? Think about it, your BRAIN feels nervous and your STOMACH feels sick. See the correlation? Stress depletes your body of magnesium first of all, but it completely shuts down many of your body’s systems to prepare you for something intense. This is why it is called “fight or flight” system. Your sympathetic nervous system is ignited when you are stressed causing a chain reaction of events to occur in your body preparing you to run away from a bear, give you super powers to fight a mountain lion, or lift a car…I know extreme, but get my point? This is NOT the optimal situation to make sure you are pooping properly. Well, for some people I guess it encourages the situation since we have the expression ” I’m going to crap my pants” when someone is scared. But for the most part, it shuts down your systems so all the blood goes to your extremities to give you the maximum energy to do what you need to, to survive. So, slow down and relax to dramatically improve your digestion. PLUS this is crucial for anyone wanting to lose weight. Stress causes that cortisol tire around the waste.

Now that you know the biggest culprits, on top of addressing each of the areas above, here are my personal favorites for fixing the problem. You can Google each of these for more info-

  1. Liquid Angstrom Magnesium and/or Peter Gillham’s “Calm” drink

  2. Home enemas with fresh spring water or organic coffee

  3. Colon hydrotherapy

  4. Lemon water

  5. PROBIOTICS! There are only a few brands I recommend to my clients, so make sure it’s a good brand!

  6. CULTURED FOODS & DRINKS

  7. SUNRIDER FOODS!!! I can’t say enough about how these amazing foods have impacted my digestive system & health!

  8. Superfoods such as chlorella & Spirulina.

  9. Digestive Enzymes

     

There you have it folks. Have fun cleaning out the junk in your trunk! Remember, if you ever would like a FREE consultation for one of my health programs to get on the “Fast Track” to healing your body, mind, & soul for good, you can email me directly at Jessica@JessicaLopezRN.com or use my calendar link here to schedule your appointment and see if this would be a good fit for you!

In Health, Hope, & Happiness,

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Health Articles

Want to Know My Health Secrets?

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Hey!!!

I have just had the honor of being featured on an AMAZING website and I want you to see it! My friend Wendy Cuba-Dunca is an extremely talented woman and she is out on a hunt to find some of the top health & fitness experts to learn their secrets! You will find loads of info on her website and if you subscribe to her updates, you’ll have access to all her future guests! To read the article and my personal health secrets, check out the article here- http://secretsoffitandhealthypeople.com/meet-our-guest-enthusiast-jessica-lopez/

Have a Great Week!!

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