Egg whites, spinach, chopped red pepper with chipotle chili seasoning in a gluten free wrap! (Taken with instagram)

So I just MUST share this information I took in from a nutritionist who was doing a program on WLIW21 TV… her name is Brenda Watson and here’s her website www.brendawatson.com I don’t want anyone to think I am trying to steal her info!! She was just so dead on, I gotta let all my friends in on it! The road to Perfect health begins in your gut and what happens in your gut effects your entire body.  You can restore your health with the proper probiotics! I’m working on mine ;)

Ok, so what did Brenda Watson teach me today that’s got me all excited?? Well if you haven’t heard this already, your GUT is the KEY to Health!! And because of various factors that effect EVERYONE everyday regardless of how “healthy” we think we are, everyone NEEDS to take Probiotics BUT the big question is always…Am I taking the right one? What is the right one?

I personally have tried A LOT of probiotics and sometimes I really notice that I feel good and sometimes I get nothing, so I keep changing it up with really no clue what I’m doing…. Recently I picked up Ultimate Flora Critical Care by RenewLife at Vitamin Shoppe and have noticed less bloating/digestive discomfort and just overall more energy and feeling better… I wasn’t completely sold that these good things were a result of my new probiotic UNTIL today when I saw Brenda Watson’s program… she explained in detail why it is IMPERATIVE that we have probiotics and how “the road to health is paved with good intestines.”

First things first, 2 of the most common strains of probiotics are (1) Lactobacillus acidophilis and (2) Bifidobacterium (Note that Bifido declines as we age so it’s even more important to replenish as we get older—she called it the anti-aging secret)

Now for the Golden Nuggets in choosing a Probiotic—You must look for A LOT of “cultures” (total amount of live active friendly bacteria) AND “strains” (types of bacteria).

 FOUR THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN YOUR PROBIOTIC

 -          High Culture Count: At least 15 billion in ONE serving of probiotics and the more the better 

 -          Multiple Strains: At least 10 different strains should be listed on the label—you’re looking for “L” and “B” (lactobacillus and bifidos) (“L” is for little intestine; “B” is for Big intestine (colon) Don’t forget, we are all different with more or less of different stains so you may want to experiment with different probiotics while following these 4 “general” rules.  And remember if you’re over 50, the Bifido is extra important.

-          Delayed Release Delivery: It’s gotta say this on the label! If it’s not delayed release the probiotic can mostly be destroyed by the stomach acidity before its released where its needed.

-          Potency at the time of expiration (NOT at the time of manufacture!) this should be clearly specified on the label and tell you how many cultures should be there when it reaches expiration. (my bottle says “…guarantees at least 50 billion active cultures through expiration date under recommended storage conditions.”

When you have health concerns, whether it be migraine, arthritis, diabetes, inflammatory conditions, whatever… LOOK inside your gut first for the answer!! It ALL starts in the GUT, and there is scientific evidence to that effect! People can regain health by balancing the digestive system —-if you have yeast overgrowth or food sensitivities then you don’t have a healthy gut…you can get back on track by balancing your gut.

Hey there and happy day to everyone…. A couple weeks ago actually I was talking to someone about sleep problems and figured I’d pay it forward with what has worked for me when I have trouble…(this is just the written version of my youtube video for those of you who aren’t into the video thing) I used to have major issues with rampant thoughts of to dos or just ideas running through my head stopping me from being able to sleep and a couple of things I’ve don’t to combat that is (1) have a notebook on the side of my bed where I can jot things down so I wont stress about forgetting; another option (2) I make a sorta to do list before I go to sleep just jotting down everything and anything that comes to my head that I want to do, buy, address, think about, whatteverrrr, I write it down, it makes me feel better.  Then sometimes I just can’t get to sleep so being a supplement junky I’ve tried a lot, I know a common one is melatonin which does work BUT I always found myself feeling groggy the next day so I stopped using it, what I use now is 5-htp, I take it before bed and find it helps me fall asleep without feeling any extra tired in the morning.  Anyway, that’s it for me on this rainy day, I’m super excited for the beachbody training in Brooklyn tonight, off to pick up some snacks…talk you later J

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Riw3aa3fGpE

PASSION, FOCUS, DO MORE, PERSIST, SUCCEED!  Anything is possible with SELF discipline!  Chalene Johnson is a product of what she preaches I am INSPIRED…Watch this and YOU will be too.

I am completely obsessed with pumpkin and sweet potatoes so it’s no surprise that on my trip to the Dominican Republic a couple of years ago I fell in LOVE with the spectacular Mamey Sapote fruit!! Have you tried this dynamite fruit?!?! Wikipedia calls it a combination of pumpkin, sweet potato, and maraschino cherries with the texture of an avocado. Some consider the fruit to be an aphrodisiac ;) I personally think it’s very similar to a papaya, but a little sweeter, not so smelly and not so many annoying seeds! I am totally smitten with the MAMEY SAPOTE!! (not to be confused with the mamey apple)

Mamey’s come from trees native to Mexico and the flesh is a bright orange that is eaten raw. It’s also fabulous in smoothies but I don’t usually get that far!  It’s strange, it looks and feels kinda like a coconut from the outside, with a hardish shell but rest assured you will be able to cut into it.  I cut it like an avocado, around the large pit inside and then twist it open and cut the flesh away from the shell.

Is it RIPE? It will be a little softer when ripe and you can just scratch a spot of the skin and make sure it’s nice and bright under there before you cut.  Once it’s cut it’s dunzo and if its not ripe, ICK!  The ones I’ve bought are always unripe so I leave them out on the counter for a day or 2 and they’re good to go.

Mamey’s are so good for you too… rich in fiber, which helps maintain intestinal function, reduces risk of heart disease and helps keep normal blood glucose levels, and is a source of potassium, copper, iron, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin C and vitamin A.

The one thing that STINKS is that I rarely find this delectable creation here in NY. For the first time since the DR trip, I found one at a fruit stand near the Jamaica , NY train station….I was ecstatic!! I bought a HUGE one.  Then I went to old reliable, Fairway supermarkets near my job figuring if anyone would have this rare gem it would be them… THEY DID!! If you’re near a Fairway, go get em! Sadly I haven’t found them anywhere else :) Happy Hunting!!

Health benefits of gluten-free diet helped make it mainstream http://bit.ly/9aQdCE

Insanity Fast + Furious! 20 Min Sweat Fest!

The Post Weekend Blahs….its about more than just being on the weekend high and then feeling blah because you’re back to reality…For me and many of you guys I know, it’s probably even more about how we “abused” our body over the weekend, consuming less than healthy foods and/or just complete overconsumption of food in general, which must be extremely taxing on the body. And for what?

I admit, I’m a BIG culprit…Friday hits and I justify excess calorie consumption which lasts all weekend long… and what does it get me? Not only do I end up wasting a lot of my day on the weekends, but then I have the Monday blues! I end up bloated, tired, cranky, anxious, unmotivated and unproductive come Monday… SO NOT WORTH IT! It’s basically 3 ½ days wasted (Fri night, Sat, Sun & Mon!) My to do lists are half a$$ed during those days, my motivation is up and down depending on what’s in my stomach, and by Monday, forget about I’m so DONE, I am mad at myself for falling into the vicious cycle yet again, and I end up being a complete waste of space, because my energy has been zapped by the 3 days of stuffing my face from morning till night.  And WAIT let me also tell you that this is not limited to junk food…I know some people binge all weekend on real “cheat” foods and feel gross and heavy by Monday, but  that’s not my M.O.… I am here to tell you that it doesn’t matter what foods you are consuming, if you are going to EXCESS (like to the point of… I need to unbutton my pants after thanksgiving dinner) it doesn’t matter what you’re putting in, you’re still stressing your body.  Well, at least that’s what I think…the body just can’t work that hard…alllllll that food and what to do with it.  I don’t know what it is, but I use the weekend as an excuse to go buy TONS of whatever it is I love, to throw all portion control out the window and just eat all day…I feel as though my days are consumed by what I am going to eat next and it’s almost sad, because I think there is something lost in the “living” of life when days are treated like this.  Does anyone know this feeling??? Message me, I’d love to hear your thoughts…maybe even start some kind of “support” group so to speak :-)

 I heard a great quote on a call with @Monica Gray the other day and it was… “At the end of the day you should play back the tapes of your performance and the result should either applaud you or prod you.” (-Jim Rohn) I’d like to make ALL of my days ones that I can look back on with pride and not just Tues through Thursday! 

I googled shakeology this morning, and one of those automatic searches pops up that says “Shakeology Scams” so I think, hmmmm, I drink this stuff EVERYDAY (in fact I’m actually drinking it now lol), I am a 100% believer in its powers so to speak, so I wonder what people are saying?? I start clicking through and there are no scams! I LOVE IT! You can’t even find people saying this shake isn’t everything it purports to be because it IS!!! And you can’t get it in stores or online except through a beachbody coach so THAT’S WHY I talk about it so much and that’s why I share, because it does amazing things for your body, mind and overall health and I want the world to drink the kool-aid or the shakeology as the case is :)  In the shake scam search I found a little article someone wrote below and decided to reblog it, it’s short and to the point and gives a good overview of what Shakeology is…. www.shakeology.com/diana or reply here…I LOVE talking health, fitness, shakes and MORE… Email at Diana@city.com if you’re interested in a sample!!