Time to read: 3 minutes. We’re tired.  And mostly for good reasons!  But getting-back-to-basics, an super-charging with Superfoods, will give you more energy.  LOTS more.  Here’s how to increase your energy level starting tomorrow: naturally, safely and successfully.  I’ll also toss in a surprising, powerful fact about WHY we crave — and how to use cravings to your advantage.

I’m going to lay 4 tips on you today.

1. Eat fruit on an empty stomach
2. Eat more alkaline-forming foods
3. Eat more fat — healthy fat
4. Get your iron — naturally, safely

Jot them down on a piece of paper or post-it note for easy access in days ahead, please.  This way you can pay a little more attention to each — and get your energy back.  And, no, I’m not going to tell you to give up coffee!

Here’s the approach in a nutshell:  Pay a little more attention to your food.  BUT WAIT!  Not in ways that you deny yourself stuff.  Follow me…

Processed foods deprive us of energy

More and more of us lack energy.  For a lot of reasons and a “main one” is food-based.

“How come I eat all the time yet I don’t have any energy?”

Here’s the short answer:

The more processed food we eat the less energy we will have.  Processed foods require energy to digest.  They steal energy.

Is that simple.  You can’t feed your body with what holistic nutritionists call “dead food”… and expect your body to be alive and alert. Let me get a tiny bit scientific with you: Dead matter produces dead matter.  That’s all it can do.  Life and energy cannot be created from life-LESS or life-deprived matter.  And processed foods are mostly dead.

So eating processed foods is a bad idea.  Well duh!  But especially if you need more energy.

Add “living” foods in

This is not so much about eliminating the KFC or Wendy’s.  Let me be clear.  It’s more about realizing that fast foods are working against you.  It’s dead food.  The trick is to ADD FOODS IN — living Superfoods.  These are the energy-producers!

Food is fuel.  Got it.  BUT… what will YOU put in your tank?  Just like gas comes in high octane or lower octane variety so do foods. You don’t put the cheap gas in a Mazarati do you?  More about living foods appears below in my tips.  Experiment with the suggestions below and experience higher energy and elevated mood.

#1: Eat fruit on an empty stomach

Eating fruit in the morning on empty stomach helps you body cleanse — purge itself of stuff that gets in the way of energy production.  You may have heard this tip from mom or a friend.  It gets around.  And it’s true.

Hint: Do not mix sweet fruits (such as apples and bananas) with acid fruits (pineapple, lemon, orange etc.)  Eat melon alone.  Melon takes only 15-20 minutes to be digested by the body.  The point is to maximize nutritional value from fruits by eating them on an empty stomach.

#2: Eat more alkaline-forming foods

If you eat acidic fruits this tip will help.  Foods like leafy greens, celery and cucumber become more alkaline (non-acidic) — as a part of natural digestion.  Eating them balances your tummy out.  That’s important because when your stomach and everything around it is working less…. that’s right, YOU GET MORE ENERGY to use for other things.

Digestion — believe it or not — robs many of us of our energy. The trick is to avoid this by making digestion a piece of cake.  No, not by eating cake, silly.  Gotcha!

Hint: Juicing green leafy vegetables can give you an instant energy boost as they enter your bloodstream 15 minutes after you drink them.  And that’s important because that’s how energy gits distributed around your body.

#3: Eat more fat — healthy fat

All the low or “no fat” products on the market have many people thinking that fats are bad.  But fats are good for you.  They’re energy producers! Fats found in foods like fish (wild Salmon)  give your brain the energy boost it needs to keep you on top of things.

Hint: Eat salmon but also use coconut oil to cook.  Long demonized, the truth about coconut oil is this: It contains lauric acid — anutrient that supports your metabolism.  When heated at high temperatures it does not hydrogenate like most oils.

Coconut oil does not require a lot of energy to be digested. Leaving more energy for you to use!

This is key. Therefore coconut oil is good for you — it gives your body and instant kick of energy.  Also, use hemp seed oil and flax seed oil on your salad… as a dressing.  Hemp and flax oils are great source of omega 3 acids that we hear so much about.  As are chia seeds.  Chia seeds offers a perfect balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.

#4: Get your iron

Anemia can be a real drain on your body.  And many of us suffer from low levels of iron to various degrees.

Hint: Make sure you’re getting all the iron you need (150 mg is the recommended dose) each day.  Eat iron-rich foods.  But put down the steak knife and pick up some nori.  Nori is a type of seaweed that is used often when preparing sushi.  You need 2 nori sheets to get your daily iron. It’s a great snack option too. No, seriously.  Snack on seaweed.  Turn some heads at the office.  TRY IT.  And don’t deny yourself the occasional steak.  Just remember how all the research links red meat consumption to developing cancer.

There you have it:

1. Eat fruit on an empty stomach
2. Eat more alkaline-forming foods
3. Eat more fat — healthy fat
4. Get your iron — naturally, safely

I’ll be back with 3 more tips soon!

Photo credit: Whatdavesees

Time to read: 2 minutes. The personal care product industry is not yet regulated by the USDA.   Yes, USDA Organic labels appear on some products.  But others claim to be organic.  And they’re NOT.  In fact, they contain 1,4 Dioxine.  A carcinogenic chemical.  Isn’t that just special!  Today I’m helping you make sense of fake organic personal care products and offering a surprising, effective alternative to hair conditioner.  Avoid dangerous chemicals is tough today — in an industry that is truly working against consumers.  But here are simple tips you can use to save money and create better health today!

First, always look for the USDA Organic seal on the front of the package.  Don’t be fooled by the word “natural.”  This word lost it’s credibility long ago — simply because there are no requirements to regulate it.

Next, here are the names of brands to boycott, according to the Organic Consumers Association who’s research I respect.

Avalon “Organics”
Desert Essence “Organics”
Earth’s Best “Organic”
Eminence “Organic” (Except for a few products bearing the USDA Seal)
Giovanni “Organic”
Goodstuff “Organics”
Head “Organics”
Jason “Pure, Natural & Organic”
Kiss My Face “Obsessively Organic”
Nature’s Gate “Organics”
Physicians Formula “Organic” Wear

Some of the safe brands are:

Dr. Bronner’s
Weleda
Sensibility soaps

Beautiful hair without the cancer risk

So, are you looking for pretty hear with a carcinogenic touch?  Then go ahead and spend your money on dangerous conditioners.  But if you want my natural secret weapon hair conditioner here it is:

2-3 tbs. raw organic apple cider vinegar. Use it instead of conditioner.  It will not foam like your regular conditioner but will protect leave you with squeaky clean and silky looking hair.  No joke!

Brands to boycott: The research

As recently as March 12, The Organic Consumer’s Association (OCA) held a protest outside of the largest annual gathering of the natural and organic products industry.   Members of the OCA picketed the entrance to the expo using creative visual props including five-foot tall shampoo bottles to mock mislabeled “organic” products while distributing fliers to educate the public about the lack of regulation in the organic personal care marketplace.

The OCA conducted a test on some of the so-called “organic” products.  Here is what they did.  They sent a scientist into a Whole Foods retail store and told them to buy a 100 personal body care products  — and including products that had USDA seal — send them to a cutting-edge lab for testing.  Specifically looking for 1,4 Dioxane ( 1,4 Dioxine is a carcinogenic chemical).

The results were shocking: 47 out of 100 products were not only tested positive for this carcinogenic substance derived from using petrochemicals but the levels were high — 1000 times higher that what the EPA  and regulatory agencies in Europe would consider as hazardous or dangerous.

photo credit: Caseywest