Posts Tagged ‘stress’

Benefits of Green Tea

June 4th, 2010

For many people, a coffee break is not something they want to be a part of. The bitter bite of a cup of coffee is not something they enjoy; others react poorly to the effects that coffee can wreck on your digestive system. But when given a chance to sip something hot, many people who spurn coffee will reach for a cup of green tea. Some people may be reaching simply for an alternative to java; others who routinely eat for energy know exactly how wonderful green tea can be for you.

Now, the words “tea” and “high energy diet” may not be the first association that you would choose, but there are all sorts of high energy benefits to green tea: it could lower your risk of developing certain types of cancers; it can help to reduce levels of bad cholesterol in the body; it can help ease the pain of some types of arthritis; it can aide in weight loss; it can provide an alternative source of caffeine; it can help to prevent food poisoning and tooth decay; it can help to soothe stress and anxiety levels; and many more ways, including wonderful rejuvenating effects when used topically on the skin.

The most exciting research into the benefits of green teas has to be its ability to retard the growth of cancerous cells. While a practical use for this discovery might yet be years away, it is great to know that green tea might help to keep us healthier for years to come.

Many of the other benefits of drinking green tea have been known about for centuries, thanks to its use in ancient Chinese medicine. Back then, green tea was used to treat or cure common ailments like headaches and other aches and pains.

But what is a green tea, anyway? It is a tea leaf that comes from a similar family of plant as many other types of teas, but the main difference is in how it is prepared. Other leaves are fermented to make their teas, converting a certain type of catechin polyphenol found in the leaves into other chemicals. Green teas are not fermented, but steamed to prepare them. The steaming process does not affect the catechin polyphenols in the same way, meaning they stay in the tea leaf intact and do not oxidize. The catechin polyphenol in green tea is what does the good work in cancer research, and offers similar but stronger protections to the body as the polyphenol called resveratrol does in red wine.

But perhaps one of the greatest aspects of green tea is that all of these wonderful benefits are held within a delicious hot beverage. Many people worry that eating for energy can mean having to resort to ingesting foods that they find repulsive or distasteful; neither worry can be found with green teas. Whether you want to improve your body, protect your health, or simply find an alternative to coffee, green teas can be, well, your cup of tea.

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Colon Cleanse vs. Total Body Cleanse

January 27th, 2010

Recently, someone asked me if it was possible to cleanse just one organ – like the colon – instead of just cleansing the entire body.

I’m not sure why they would ask me that question? Seems a bit odd.

But anyways, the answer I gave is very straightforward…

When you cleanse, you are inevitably cleansing your entire body. It’s almost impossible to solely detoxify just one organ within your body – that’s not how we operate.

Everything in our body is connected.

For instance, when you want to cleanse your colon, you can’t partake in things like enemas, colonics, or following detox diet. I personally prefer the diet approach.

But regardless of how you do it, you will not only be cleaning out your intestines but your blood, and thus liver and kidneys as well.

As your colon becomes cleaner (and healthier) there is lesser likelihood of “auto-intoxication” caused by harmful bacteria. Auto-intoxification is when the bacteria spew their waste products back into the bloodstream.

Since the liver filters everything in the blood, it follows that if your colon is cleaner, thus producing less toxic output, there will be less stress on your liver – the major filtering organ of your body.

As I just mentioned, the liver is really the big filtering (or detoxifying) agent in the body. Unfortunately, because most people intoxicate their bodies with poor food and lifestyle choices, they impose a huge amount of stress on their liver.

Thus, simply improving your diet (not even doing a full-out cleansing program) can make a big difference for a lot of people.

Adding more greens into your diet and reducing intake of refined sugars, stimulants, and alcohol are just a few things you can do to starting cleansing your entire body – not just your colon or liver individually.

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FTC Ruling and New Eating for Energy Reviews

December 16th, 2009

book_cover_webI’ll get to the Eating for Energy reviews in a second but first…

On December 1, 2009 the FTC started a crack down mission on any online business making erroneous claims and doing fishy business. You’ve probably seen hundreds of these sites promoting the acai berry diet or how Jenny lost weight, right?

As a result of those kinds of spammy, illegitimate sites, businesses like mine have taken a low blow with regards to what we (or our clients) can say about what we offer.

Specifically, testimonials and reviews must now be come with a disclaimer as to the generally expected performance of a product.

With regards to Eating for Energy, how on earth am I supposed to know that? I know that in general, you’re going to improve your health, have more energy, and most likely lose weight if you follow the recommendations I make in the book.

But if the FTC is looking for more that that, I’m not sure what to say.

I receive so many incredible testimonials each week and to not display them to the world would only be a disservice to millions of potential people who could relate to these true stories. None of the reviews I post are fabricated or untrue. I post them verbatim from what these great clients of ours send me in their emails.

Here are 4 new reviews of Eating for Energy to show you what I mean

“There were many parts in your book that I enjoyed, but probably the most interesting for me was learning how our diet causes stress on our body.  When we think of stress we think of traffic jams, work, family arguments, etc – we tend to forget that what we put into our body can cause us even more stress - a dangerous combination if we’re already feeling stressed.

Thanks for writing it – it’s a great read!

Audra Starkey
Brisbane, Australia

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“In January 07, I was very sick….in and out or hospitals for months with Doctors doing test after test and finding nothing wrong. Eventually, the cancer specialist told me to start watching my body for signs of changes…lumps etc. She said that I had a fast growing cancer. I was sent home on a prescription of prednisone.

The problem started again the following year. Since I have read your “Eating for Energy” book, I feel fantastic. I have plenty of energy and no longer have aches and pains. I don’t feel like I am 100 years old anymore (I am 57yrs). My ph level is close to 7 whereas before I was very acidic due to chronic inflammation of the colon. I have never heard of an acid/alkaline level which should be maintained for optimum health. I have also lost weight….not a lot, because I have always kept my weight down but the last two or three kilos were impossible to lose until I started the raw food diet.

The doctors were looking for cancer because I had a massive dose of calcium leaching out of my bones which made me feel very sick and very weak also resulting in osteoporous. I had no idea that too much acid leaches calcium out of bones.

Yuri, if I had read your book in 2007, I would never have been so sick and would have resolved my problems without me having to use a walker because I did not have any strength left in my legs. I would not have put on so much weight because of the drug prednisone. The answer to my health was simple. Just eat lots of fruit and veges (raw). I still have to watch for foods that cause inflammation but I am on the right track now for a healthy body. Thank You Yuri for “Eating for Energy”!

My health is fine now and I feel wonderful and confident that I have at last resolved my health issues and I want to thank you for sharing your book with me. Regards,”

Frances Jeffs

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“Hi Yuri, thanks for this book – you have hit the right button on eating healthy. After 3 weeks I have more energy, experience a more positive attitude towards problems in life, realizing there is a solution for every problem, thinking twice before just eating that LOOKS nice. Thank you for opening our minds to realize what God already provide for us. Keep up the good work!”

Ursula Visser

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“Hi Yuri,The facts speak for themselves! Since purchasing Eating for Energy less than 2 months ago I have subscribed to your program and not only lost 5 kgs but I am now at my lowest weight in 20 years and have the energy levels of a 20 yo!! (I’m 41).

The great thing about Eating for Energy is that the raw foods recipes are so simple and incredibly tasty – I certainly don’t feel like I am missing out on any food experiences. In fact, I am appreciating the flavours in my food more than ever!

I’d always known which foods I should be eating more of but you’ve made it easy for me to finally do it through the variety of recipes and food ideas in your book.

Thank you so much Yuri – my family and I feel like we owe you so much!”

Geraint Gearon
Bangkok, Thailand

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Chocolate Reduces Stress?

November 20th, 2009

gourmet-chocolateA recent study in the Journal of Proteome Research suggests that eating a few pieces of dark chocolate every day may improve the metabolic response of people who report feeling highly stressed.

For this study, the researchers investigated the metabolic response in a group of 30 healthy adult volunteers who were asked to consume two portions of 20g of dark chocolate every day for up to 14 days.

The volunteers were separated into 2 groups based on whether they exhibited low or high anxiety traits.

To assess metabolic response (specifically energy metabolism and microbial activity in the gut), the researchers analyzed urine and blood plasma given by each volunteer during three test days at the beginning, the middle and the end of the 14 day period.

After the 14-day study period, the researchers found that:

  • Subjects with higher anxiety trait had a distinct metabolic profile, which was indicative of a different energy and hormone metabolism, and gut microbe activity.
  • Dark chocolate reduced the amount of stress hormone cortisol and catecholamines in the urine.
  • Dark chocolate also partially normalized stress-related differences in energy metabolism and gut microbial activities.

So what do these findings even mean?

Well, according to the researchers, “The study provides strong evidence that a daily consumption of 40 g of dark chocolate during a period of 2 weeks is sufficient to modify the metabolism of free living and healthy human subjects, as per variation of both host and gut microbial metabolism.”

The researches also maintained that…

“Consuming dark chocolate daily can positively impact the metabolism of people that report having high-stress levels.”

It comes as no surprise that this study was conducted by the Nestlé Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland.

I’m not saying that the results are biased. Obviously someone (or some company) needs to conduct the research.

However, what isn’t clear is what type of dark chocolate was used in the study. I can only assume that is was Nestlé’s on brand that was given to subjects. If that’s the case, then that’s a bit of good news for a big food conglomerate that doesn’t necessarily consider the health-promoting properties of its products to be the greatest priority.

How Does Chocolate Reduce Stress?

Cacao (the main component of chocolate) has been treasured for centuries. In fact, the some ancient civilizations even used cacao as currency!

Eating chocolate can help reduce because of its numerous effects on our brain and nervous system.

For instance, chocolate increases the levels of endorphins released into the brain, which work to lessen pain and decrease stress.

Another common neurotransmitter affected by chocolate is serotonin. Serotonin is known as an anti-depressant. One of the chemicals which causes the release of serotonin is tryptophan found in, among other things, chocolate.

One of the more unique neurotransmitters released by chocolate consumption is phenylethylamine. This compound causes changes in blood pressure and blood-sugar levels leading to feelings of excitement and alertness. It works in much the same way as do amphetamines to increase mood and decrease depression, but it does not result in the same tolerance or addiction.

Phenylethylamine is also called the “love drug” because it causes your pulse rate to quicken, resulting in a similar feeling to when someone is in love. However, this could also be caused by the slight amount of caffeine naturally found in cacao.

Another interesting compound found in chocolate is the lipid anandamide. Anandamide is unique due to its resemblance to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), a chemical found in marijuana.

Both activate the same receptor which causes the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter which leads to feelings of well being that people associate with a high. Normally, anandamide, found naturally in the brain, breaks down very rapidly. However, besides increasing the levels of anandamide, chocolate also contains other chemicals which work to slow the breakdown of the anandamide, thus extending the feelings of well-being.

Even though the anandamide in chocolate helps to create feelings of elation, the effect is not the same as the THC in marijuana. THC reacts with receptors more widely dispersed in the brain and is present in much larger amounts. It would take twenty-five pounds of chocolate to achieve a similar high to that of marijuana.

A more well known chemical found in chocolate is theobromine. Besides having properties that can lead to mental and physical relaxation, it also acts as a stimulant similar to caffeine. It can increase alertness as well as cause headaches. There is much debate as to whether or not caffeine even exists in chocolate. Some scientists believe that it is the less potent theobromine which is solely responsible for the caffeine-like effects.

How to Choose the Healthiest Chocolate

Finding the healthiest chocolate can be a daunting task, especially considering the overwhelming number of options. But in general, there are a few things you want to look for.

  • Choose a dark chocolate that is at least 70% cacao. This is means that the chocolate is lower in sugar and dairy products.
  • Choose a chocolate that contains no dairy. You can find ones that use cocoa butter and rice milk instead.
  • Choose a chocolate that is organic and fair trade if possible.
  • Choose raw chocolate whenever possible. All the benefits we talked about above are lessened when cacao is heated and processed. I personally love raw cacao nibs/powder. They can easily be added to a smoothie or used to make a raw dessert.

If you don’t have access to the raw cacao from a health food store, then you can also try grabbing these ones. These are my 3 favourite types of commercially available chocolate.

  • Terra Nostra – organic and equitable trade chocolate. They also have a rice milk chocolate.
  • Theobroma Chocolat - 100% organic and absolutely delicious. I like the dark and coconut flavours.
  • SOMA – local to Toronto and 100% organic, I usually grab a truffle or set of 85% dark chocolate squares any time I pass by.

Got any other chocolate you’d like to share? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Reference:

“Metabolic Effects of Dark Chocolate Consumption on Energy, Gut Microbiota, and Stress-Related Metabolism in Free-Living Subjects.”Francois-Pierre J. Martin, Serge Rezzi, Emma Per-Trepat, Beate Kamlage, Sebastiano Collino, Edgar Leibold, Jrgen Kastler, Dietrich Rein, Laurent B. Fay and Sunil Kochhar. Journal of Proteome Research, 2009

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