Scientific Evidence: Sugar can Permanently Change DNA

An Australian research team from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne has found that genes remember a sugar hit for two weeks.  What’s more, continued poor eating habits can permanently alter your DNA and potentially pass the genetic damage onto your descendants.¹

The team studied how diet impacted heart tissue and found sugar caused cells to switch off the genetic controls that protect that body against diabetes and heart disease for a period of two weeks.

These results give truth to the popular phrase “You are what you eat.” You may not feel the effects of bad diet right away.  But unless you change your eating habits, with time various health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and others will       appear.  And you don’t want to pass along potentially unhealthy genes to your children and grandchildren.

How Can I Change My Sugar Cravings?

1. Change When You Eat
   1. If you are feeling any negative emotions, don’t eat.  Rather figure out why you are feeling this way.
   2. Don’t eat on the go or when you are rushed.  This disturbs digestion, often makes you eat more than you need and eat the wrong things.   Moreover, when you are rushed you are not fully present with your food and not paying as much attention to how much or what you eat.
   3. If you are very tired, pay extra attention to what you eat.  When the body is tired, you have a tendency to overeat, so get extra energy.  So if you can’t take a nap or relaxation break, just eat slowly and be very aware of what’s on your plate.
2. Take a 30 Day Break.  According to self-development experts and in my own experience, it takes about 30 days to change a habit.  30 days are less daunting because you know you can just quit and go back to old habits after that time is up.  Check out my in-depth article on 15 Ways to Successfully Change a Habit.
3. Try a couple simple Yoga poses. Yoga is not only great exercise for the body, but it teaches you to be mindful of your body and its needs, lets you slow down and be more respectful of it.  Two postures in particular stimulate blood flow to abdomen and pelvic area and thereby help regulate sugar metabolism: bow pose and modified bridge pose.  ³
   1. Bow pose: lie down on your belly, arms by your side.  Bend your knees and bring your feet towards your buttocks.  Clasp your ankles with your hands, press the feet into the hands and lift your torso and legs off the floor.  Hold 10-15 seconds and repeat up to three times.  If you cannot reach your ankles with your hands, just reach your hands back as far as you can.
   2. Bridge pose: lie down on your back, bend your knees and bring your heels to your buttocks. Arms are by your side, palms down. Exhale as you lift the hips to the sky, pressing hands and feet into floor to increase the lift.  You can clasp the hands and place them underneath your torso to increase the lift.  Hold 10-15 seconds, then roll down slowly starting with your upper back and roll down vertebra by vertebra to the bottom of your spine.  Repeat five or six times.
4. Do a little meditation.  Meditation can be as simple as sitting or lying down in a comfortable, quiet place and focusing on your breathing or on a certain pleasant image (e.g. calm beach with white sand, field of wild flowers, etc).  Focus solely on this one thing you have chosen.  Even 5 minutes of this will calm you down remarkably and reduce your craving.  ²
5. Relax.  We often crave certain foods or substances because we are stressed or hurried or upset.  If you are in the midst of a negative emotion, try one of these 17 Simple Ways to Instill Calmness in Your Day.

I tried the 30 day break on my sugar cravings and noticed a remarkable difference afterward.  I found that physically I no longer craved sugar as much, nor did I get the same pleasure from eating sweets as I did before.  For the emotional attachment to sugar, I find that yoga and meditation work best for me.  But everyone is different…find your own magic potion to cure your sugar craving – experiment and have fun with it!

^References

¹ Journal of Experimental Medicine September 2008, 29;205(10):2409-17
² Relaxation, Meditation Helps Curb Cravings
³ Getting out from Under:Asana for Relieving PMS

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
- Aristotle

1. According to self-development experts and in my own experience, it takes about 30 days to change a habit.  30 days are less daunting because you know you can just quit and go back to old habits after that time is up.
   1. Within this time, you will give your brain circuits a chance to form new neuro-connections and neuro-pathways (i.e. you will form a new habit).
   2. You will start breaking the addiction to your old habit, which will give you confidence and allow the new habit to sink in.
   3. After the 30 days are up, you’ll have a feeling of accomplishment and success, increasing the likelihood that you’ll continue the new habit.
   4. Best of all, you’ll have 30 days of great results from your new habit!
   5. If you still have doubt after 30 days and want to switch back to the old habit, you have the option of extending the trail another 30 days.  Nothing permanent to scare the mind.  And the longer you go, the easier it will be to maintain the habit.
2. Work on one habit at a time.  No need to overwhelm yourself, and once you have one habit change it will be much easier to change another one.
3. Write down your commitment.  Writing it down makes it more official and reinforces your desire to do it.
4. Find support, especially for a big change.  Whether it’s someone in your family, a significant other, your church group or an online friend, tell them about your commitment to make this change and ask for help when you start to falter. Put a promise to contact them into your written commitment.  Try a support group online or in your neighborhood if you don’t want to commit to someone you know closely.
5. Identify your triggers.  What triggers your habit of having a cigarette, grabbing some chocolate, having a beer, or getting angry at the traffic?  Is it waking up in the morning, a stressful meeting, having to face another long drive home?
6. Replace your triggers.  Now place a goal to replace each trigger with something positive.  Instead of chocolate, have some nuts or fruit at hand.  Instead of having a beer or getting angry, try some calming breathing for a few minutes, or if you have more time, meditate or do some stretching, take a walk or talk with a friend.  Try any of these 17 Ways to Instill Calmness in Your Day and you’ll be a step ahead to replacing your triggers.
7. Stay positive.  Whenever you have that little voice in your head talking back saying: “This is too hard.  Do I really need to do this? Why am I putting myself through this? I’ll just have one…” – become aware of it and squash it flat! See how easily you can squash negative thinking!
8. Use visualization.  Take a few minutes each day, or every time you have a trigger, and close your eyes to vividly imagine changing your habit.  Imagine what it will feel like once you are rid of the habit and visualize the new habit in detail.  Visualization is very powerful and I like to use it just as a form of meditation.
9. Reward yourself. After every milestone you reach, or after a particularly strong trigger you overcome, reward yourself with something you like.  (preferably not another bad habit
10. No exceptions.  Don’t say “just one more” or “just this one time”.  Be very strict with yourself.  Every cell in your body has memory, so you are just making it much harder for your body and your mind to break this habit.  Remember – if you go with Tip #1, it’s just 30 days!
11. Make it public. Tell all your friends, family, co-workers – post it online in forums on your blog or facebook.  The more you make it public, the more likely you are to stick with it, because then we feel more accountable and don’t want to fail.
12. Get your sleep.  You may feel tired or drained when trying to break a habit.  Make sure to get as much rest as you need.  If you can’t sleep at night, here are 18 Easy Tips to Beat Insomnia and Super Foods for a Good Night’s Sleep.
13. Hydrate. Drink plenty of water.  This seems simple, but is often overlooked. Plus, if you are trying to break a food addiction, this will let you keep putting something in your mouth and fill up your stomach fast.
14. Avoid places, situations or people that trigger the old habit.  At least for the time being (e.g. 30 days!), don’t place yourself in situations where you would normally do your old habit.
15. If you backslide into the old habit, analyze what went wrong, what triggered the relapse, plan for that situation and try it again! Failures are not something to be upset about, they are learning steps and help you become a stronger person.  So don’t feel bad or give up, just go for it again!

Garlic is not just a weapon against vampires – it scares away bacteria, viruses, parasites, ticks and possibly even mosquitoes!

1. Garlic Reduces Heart Disease Risk & High Blood Pressure

Helps induce relaxation and enlargement of blood vessels, improving blood flow.  This can help prevent high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. ¹

2. Garlic Crushes Parasites, Bacteria and Viral Infections

Garlic works like a broad-spectrum antibiotic against parasites, bacteria and viruses, with the benefit that you don’t build up resistance to it.  ²

3. Garlic May Prevent Cancer
   • Allicin, a chemical found in garlic, may penetrate and kill tumor cells according to researchers.  The trick is that the fresh garlic needs to be crushed to create the chemical reaction that forms Allicin.  Allicin disappears an hour after you smash the garlic, which means taking a garlic pill is useless.  It also degrades in cooking, so make sure you eat it fresh! ²
   • When alliinase and alliin (two components that covert to Allicin) were injected into a tumor cell, the reaction killed it.  ³
4. Garlic Scares Away Ticks and Possibly Mosquitoes
   • Swedish researchers found there was a significant decrease in tick bites in people who ate garlic versus the group that took a placebo.  ⁴
   • Several studies suggest that garlic works the same on mosquitoes – either because it changes our body odor to make it unpleasant, or because the smell overwhelms the mosquitoes’ sense of smell and they are thus unable to find their prey.  ⁵
5. Garlic Works as an Antioxidant

Antioxidants slow or prevent oxidation of molecules.  Oxidation produces free radicals, which damage cells.  Not only is garlic a great source of Vitamin C (a powerful antioxidant), but here again the magic of Allicin does the trick.  Canadian scientists found that when Allicin decomposes, sulfenic acid is produced which acts as a very powerful antioxidant.  ⁶

6. Garlic and Weight Loss
   • In laboratory tests, rats given Allicin (chemical found in garlic) did not gain weight in comparison to the control group.  ⁷
   • Researchers say that Allicin suppresses appetite and increases the body’s metabolism by increasing the release of adrenaline.⁸
7. Garlic Treats Erectile Dysfunction

The Allicin in garlic helps by widening the arteries and improving blood flow to the groin.  A UK study of 8 volunteers eating raw garlic daily for three months saw 6 of the volunteers with improvement in erections.  ⁹

References
1  Chemists Shed Light on the Health Benefits of Garlic
2  Six Ways Garlic Can Improve Your Health
3  Chemists Shed Light on the Health Benefits of Garlic
4 Garlic Protects Against Ticks and Possibly Mosquitos
5 Garlic As A Mosquito Repellent
6 Garlic’s antioxidant power pinpointed by researchers?
7 Garlic, The Wonder Drug?
8 Garlic for Weight Loss
9 Garlic and Erectile Dysfunction

“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”

~ Walter Hagen

The slow food movement originated in Italy in 1986, and Slow Food, a non-profit, eco-gastronomic organization was officially created in 1989.  The antithesis of fast food, Slow Food is focused on reminding people of local foods, where they come from, their different tastes and how we affect the rest of the world by what we eat.  I encourage you to check out their website and calendar of events.  They have offices in France, Japan, USA, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the UK.

Reasons to favor slow food:

• A new appreciation and love for where food comes from and its tradition of preparation.
• Your senses will be awakened and you’ll start to taste things you haven’t tasted before.
• You’ll become a defender of biodiversity (good karma!), as you’ll be eating more of the traditional grains, vegetables and other foods that are disappearing with the invasion of mass production and processed foods.
• Whole, fibrous foods take longer to digest, so that sugar enters the blood stream more slowly.  This helps regulate bowel movements and eases all digestives issues.
• This won’t come as a surprise to you, but the list of common ailments caused by inappropriate diet is a mile long.  Start by slowing down when you eat, become aware of what you eat, how every bite tastes and feels and how your body feels as a result.  Then  it will be much easier to switch to healthier foods.

Reasons to eat more slowly:

• Better digestion. Digestion starts in the mouth with saliva breaking down food.  Eating more slowly allows additional production of saliva, which saves the stomach some of its digestion work.  Chew until the food becomes near-liquid and put your fork down between bites.
• Happy intestinal tract.  Eating more slowly lessens the chance of swallowed air, which causes gas build up and bloating.  ¹
• You will actually taste more if you chew more slowly.  Eating is a great pleasure and you are denying yourself a simple and inexpensive luxury by inhaling your dinner.  Not to mention the grumpy digestive tract you’ll have to deal with.
• Lose weight. You are a lot less likely to overeat.  It takes 20 minutes for the brain to register that you are full and have eaten enough.  Eat slowly, and you’ll be able to listen to your body more easily.  This is one of the safest ways to lose weight.  ²

If your body is healthy, it becomes much easier to achieve a healthy mind and spirit.  If the body is in pain, uncomfortable or loaded with toxins, it will interfere with your best efforts to achieve peace, happiness and any other goals in your life.

So take your time…and savor the delicious slowness of life

References
¹ Bloating, Belching and Intestinal Gas: How to Avoid Them
² Proof That Eating Slowly Curbs Appetite

“Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast.”

~William Shakespeare

You’ve probably heard this before…slow down!  But not as often as…hurry up!  Quit stalling! You need to multi-task!

Meanwhile, we are starved for time and a feeling of connection, are missing the random, unexpected and simple beauties of life.  Is it worth it?

It’s ok for technology to evolve at hyper-speed.  Humans don’t evolve that way though, or at least not in a positive direction.  Nerves are shredded, patience is thinned, health suffers, vision narrows, kindness and the power of observation decreases.

Body and soul slowly exhaust themselves.  Some people start taking pills, others exercise obsessively, travel non-stop, find artificial comfort in food or drink.  All this and more is done to counteract the stress resulting from trying to constantly break speed records.

Health issues result from speed and stress

There’s a myriad of common ailments and health conditions that can crop up if we continue to run around like mad, continuously busy and stressing about everything that must be done and everything we want to do (and can’t find the time for).

• Psychological issues: depression, anxiety, addictions, and eating disorders are just a few examples
• Physical issues: weakened immune system, slower healing in the body, increased risk of heart disease, osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases, increased risk of allergies¹

Quality gets sacrificed for the sake of speed

Very simply, if you do everything quickly, there will often be a certain quality lacking.  I’m not just speaking of something physical you make or prepare, like dinner, but also of time spent with friends and family, taking the dog for a walk and not being present, swallowing your coffee without really tasting it and waking up in the morning not hearing the birds, raindrops or wind in the trees.

Life is beautiful.  Don’t miss all the magical little details because your foot is stuck to the accelerator.

Slow down slowly

Many people are used to, even addicted to rushing about, constantly being busy and doing one thing after another.  The mistake is often made to slam on the brakes on everything you’re doing and expect instant results.

Changing your lifestyle and philosophy takes time and patience.  Slow down a little at a time.  For example, start slowing down during one of your meals: breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Cook slowly, eat slowly and savor the food.  Or do the dishes slowly, drive home slowly, shop for groceries at a leisurely pace, being aware of our surroundings.  Once you start adding more and more “tasks” and events on your “slow list” it will become natural and a part of your life.

Check out more information on the slow movement.

“The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.”

~Moliere

References
¹ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=stress-dangers

Generally these pesky things ride into your home on a pet.  Result: an unhappy furry pal, and a big nuisance for you.

Some interesting facts:

• Generally fleas live in your pets environment, not directly on your pet
• Fleas live about 90 days, and one flea lays about 60 eggs per day
• Fleas adapt to their environment a bit like cockroaches.  They become more immune to popular flea chemicals with every generation
• The adult flea can jump nine inches straight up and five inches sideways

Tips on getting rid of fleas:

• Fleas really don’t like citrus, so you can soak a sliced lemon (including skin) in boiling water and leave overnight.  Next day sponge your dog with it.
• Another thing that repels fleas (and some other insects) is cedar.  Check your pet store for a cedar shampoo.
• Bathe your pet with mild soap and comb afterwards.  Fleas will drown in a bath that makes lather, so all you need to do is leave it on for 3-5 minutes and then rinse.  Don’t bathe them too often though as this will dry out the skin.  And remember, the majority of fleas will be found away from your pet.
• A nifty way of trapping fleas is by putting a large shallow dish filled with soapy water on the floor and shining a light on it.  The light will attract the fleas, they’ll hit it, fall into the water, and because the soap breaks the surface tension of the water they won’t be able to get out again.
• If you mix brewer’s yeast or garlic in your dog’s food, their blood will taste awful to fleas and they’ll stay away.  Before you do this, check with your veterinarian.  Cats should not eat garlic as it is toxic to them and some pets may get a skin allergy to yeast.
• Wash your pet’s bedding, especially during flea season.
• Vacuum frequently, as University of California lab study showed that it catches about 96% of adult fleas.   After use, put the vacuum bag inside a plastic bad, seal it and throw it away.  Or else, seal the end of the vacuum cleaner hose with a plastic bag until you vacuum next time.

References
- Natural Flea Control
-  Osbrink, W.E., M.K. Rust, and D.A. Reierson. 1986. Distribution and control of cat fleas in homes in southern California (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 79:135-140.

This is guest post by Joan Klostermann-Ketels of Being of Sound Spirit

Say one word with your mouth shut!
~ Zen saying

This wonderful statement implores the student of Zen to convey meaning, intention and condition through simple, focused attention. The idea that a sender of communication could accomplish complete understanding on the part of the receiver by becoming the manifestation of one perfectly formed thought runs counter to our modern society, which relies more on sensory overload.

We all have noticed how a single inspirational quote can instill more meaning than other complex forms of exposition. A beautiful thought may stick in our minds for many years to good effect. Likewise, one powerful photographic image can click a switch in our brain. Such a picture can transform us. Hence, the truism, “A picture is worth 1000 words.”

The closer our proximity to enlightenment, the fewer words are required. Mark Twain, in his essay on American realist author William Dean Howells, wrote, “With a hundred words to do it with, the literary artisan could catch that airy thought and tie it down and reduce it to a concrete condition, visible, substantial, understandable and all right, like a cabbage; but the artist does it with twenty, and the result is a flower.”
When it comes to expressing ourselves, it is essential to say as much we can with as few words as possible. It is so easy to become lost or disoriented in the forest of our thoughts. Should we become enamored with the shape of our argument or the sound of our voice, we can easily wander into unfamiliar territory. Our communication quickly can become so misdirected or diluted as to be ineffective or completely misinterpreted.
Poets, musicians and artists often achieve simple and pure expression. Nature always achieves it. Flora, fauna, and the seasons provide us with a direct, spiritual connection with life forces for which there are no accurate words. The glimpse we are offered into an understanding of the oneness of which we are a part is in the shape of trees, in the movement of eagles and in the light on the horizon. Occasionally, we grasp a sense of spirit and try to use language and material to express it. It is important that we do so, just as it is important that we are mindful of simple and direct effectiveness in all of our daily communication with business associates, friends or family members.

How successful we are is less the result of form and function learned from books and classes than it is from how pure and well-formed our original intention. The greatest clarity can result when the receiver of communication is afforded space in which to relax and infer meaning, in the same way that the listener of great symphonies benefits from the rest between notes.

As stated in the Tao Te Ching, which provides the basis for the philosophical school of Taoism, “We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.”

Though it can be a giant nuisance, sweating is generally healthy and often necessary.  Not only does it cool the body, but it also eliminates toxins.

Sweat is produced by glands in the skin, which respond to not only heat, but also stress, anger, nervousness and a host of other conditions. Bacteria that love this sweat grow and multiply, and as they break down the sweat fluids, they produce that unpleasant odor.

• Possible causes
  • Stress, anger, nervousness or extreme excitement
  • Skin infection
  • Serious illness, such as kidney disease, fungal infections, liver disease, etc.
  • If you take strong medicines, your sweat may smell of them
  • Smoking or drinking a lot
  • Zinc deficiency
  • Clogged pores
  • Exercising, lifting heavy weights

• Remedies
  • Wear cotton or linen clothing during hot days. Synthetic materials allow less oxygen to pass and can irritate the ski.
  • Wipe your armpits with white or apple cider vinegar or alcohol (patch test a small area of skin first for allergic reaction).
  • Sage and rosemary contain oils that are antiseptic and antibiotic, and sage has  compounds that dry up sweat.  Steep 2 tsp of dried herb in 1 cup water for 5 minutes, let cool and wash needed body parts.  Use internally sparingly, and do not use if pregnant or nursing.  Alternately, grind up rosemary into a powder and apply.
  • Fennel is popular in Indian restaurants after meals and helps treat bad breath and body odor originating from the intestines. Chew on some seeds after dinner or make a tea out of 2-3 tsp crushed seeds.  Steep for 10-25 minutes.
  • If you have a zinc deficiency, indulge in the following zinc rich foods: spinach, whole grains, legumes, rice and nuts.
  • Avoid antiperspirant, unless absolutely necessary. It’s toxic, blocks pores and prevents elimination of toxins.  Use natural deodorants instead.
  • Apply baking soda, talcum powder or baby powder to absorb sweat.
  • For clogged pores, dry-brush your body gently with a body brush to get rid of dead skin cells.
  • Pour 2-3 cups of tomato juice into a bath and soak for 15-20 minutes.  This will combat body odor.
  • Avoid refined sugar and flour, hydrogenated oils and other processed foods as these can cause your sweat to smell worse.
  • Avoid alcohol and caffeine as these will affect the odor of your sweat. If you want to indulge, at least don’t drink any prior to an evening out with someone you want to impress.
  • Minimize cumin, onions, spices and garlic can also cause foul body odor.  Since these are very healthy foods and spices, don’t avoid them altogether, just don’t use any before an important date or meeting.  Also, follow them up with fennel to sweeten the breath and help the intestine break down the food.
  • For foot odor, only wear cotton socks and don’t wear them more than once. Wear open sandals or shoes that let air in. Your feet like to breathe too.
  • Find a natural deodorant, such as Tom’s Of Maine or Aubrey Organics. They can be found in any health food or specialty store, and of course online as well.

Antiperspirant can be Dangerous

Antiperspirants prevent toxins from being eliminated through the armpits where lymph nodes are located. In addition, many contain aluminum, which is a toxin according to the World Health Organization (WHO).  In 1993, the WHO stated “There is a suspected link between Alzheimer’s disease and the toxicity of aluminum.”

Deodorants, on the other hand,  normally don’t contain aluminum, so they’re a safer option.

Read more about the dangers of antiperspirants and how to choose a safe deodorant.

⁶ “The Herbal Drugstore” Linda B. White, M.D., Steven Foster, and the Staff of Herbs for Health, 2000

(2) Network News and Publications, “Rub A Dub, Dub… Is Cancer in Your Tub?” Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 1999.