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December 25, 2013 · Blog

What does it all mean?! Organic, Grass-fed. Grass-finished……

I am so focused on the quality of food that I give to my family and recommend to my clients. It is probably the most important part of eating well and being healthy.

So here is a cheat sheet to help sort it out.

Cracking the Beef Label Code

If your local butcher does not carry high-quality beef products, take it to the internet and check out U.S.Wellness Meats, Eat Wild, and Beyond Organic. And for Glatt Kosher meats Grow and Behold or Kolfoods.com.

Best- 100% Grass-Fed These cows have been raised on grass and pasture from birth to slaughter.

Good- Grass finished. Fed high-quality grass for the 100 days before slaughter.

Tricky- Grass-fed. In 2005 the USDA changed the grass-fed standards to mean that the cow must eat grass for 80% of its life. The other 20% can be anything. Antibiotics and hormones are allowed.

Don’t be fooled- Organic. All this means is that the cows were fed organic grains and NOT grass. The quality of the feed is better, but the nutritional composition is equivalent to commercial beef.

Better than nothing- Antibiotic /Hormone Free. Grain-fed cows tend to have more fat, which is exactly where they store residues from pesticides If none of the above are available, this will do, just be sure to trim off the toxic fat.

I’ll Pass- Regular Commercial Beef. I don’t go for it, I know too much about where it comes from. If this is the best you can do, go for the leaner cuts in order to avoid the toxins. Good luck.

Note; Properly raised bison, lamb, venison, and buffalo are also great for you.

Cracking the Poultry Label Code

Best- Free-Range from a local farmer. Get to know your farmers. Spend some time with them and see for yourself how the chickens are raised.

Cool But kinda Vague- USDA Free-range. The USDA requires that chickens certified as free-range have access to the outdoors. However, there is no guarantee that the chicken will have access to anything but dirt or gravel.

Not Bad- Free Roaming. Chickens have access to the outdoors. They do not live in huge metal barns under crowded conditions like factory chickens.

Decent- Organic. Chickens were not fed their ideal diet, but what they were fed (typically corn) was organic.

Trickery- Vegetarian Fed. All this means is that the chicken was fed corn (non-organic) this does not make it healthy, though. Chickens are not vegetarians!!

Better than nothing- Hormone/ antibiotic Free. You could use a little less antibiotics and hormones in your life.

I’ll Pass!!- Regular factory chickens. You would be better off passing on those as well.

Note; Turkeys same as Chickens.

December 11, 2013 · Blog

The Real Truth About Workout Food

What’s wrong with the fuel most people are using? I call them Frankenfuels. From Gatorade to power bars to those creepy gel packs with the chemicals they contain and synthetic “nutrients”, I really don’t know how we got so far from real food.

Those Frankenfuels have very high sugar content. Gatorade was recently forced to take out the brominated vegetable oil, BVO. Another ingredient in many sport drinks is TBHQ it is a preservative also an anticorrosive agent found in diesel oil!

Many of the protein powders people use have artificial sweeteners and chemicals that lead to brain fog during a workout.

The truth is that we should be putting as natural a food source as possible into our bodies especially during and after strenuous physical activity. To understand why we need to understand carbohydrate delivery and the maximum rate of fluid absorption; Osmolality.

Most sports drinks have 6-8% concentrated solution. Bars. Energy packets and gels have 10-30% concentration of carbs. When you consume them absorption is not ideal unless you drink tons of water with them. Many labels suggest drinking at least 8 oz. of water with it and most people don’t follow directions. Anything above a 4% concentrated solution will result in GI distress and fluid emptying.

Another thing that’s been hyped up to sell sports drinks is electrolytes. The body can maintain plasma levels of electrolytes and salts several days without running out. The body maintains this via the kidneys as it slows down the rate of sodium excretion. Sports drinks actually speed up the loss of electrolytes through the sweat.

Why don’t people just eat real food? Well you can’t patent and make money off raw almonds. Real food takes time to plan and prepare. It is so much easier to grab a power bar at the gym. People have been led to believe they need to train with the fuel they will use during competitions. At the time of an iron man competition it is not very aero dynamic to carry bags of food along.

However, here are some good ideas of things you can prepare and take along;

-Chia seeds 3-4 tbsp Soak in water add lemon and stevia and make a slurry. Its clean burning food.

-Pemmican (rendered fat) or jerky

-Rice balls using pressure-cooked white rice, you can add eggs and meats or coconut, blueberries, raw honey and dates. Put in the food processor and make balls.

**Skip the rice if you are low carb and want your body to use fat to burn fuel.

-Raw seeds and nuts with a little dried fruit.

-Nut butters mixed with coconut oil and raw honey.

-Grain free granola

-Hydrolyzed Collagen Protein like PaleoZip by Joy Harari

Real food alternatives require less water than bars and gels. Bars and Gels contain fermentable carbs like fructose and maltodextrin, which causes gas and bloating and indigestion afterwards.

For post workouts, the ideal scenario is to eat a real meal. Don’t worry about protein carb fat ratio the experts say it is not necessary. Just eat your regularly scheduled highly nutritive meal.

So lets all commit to a more natural source of healthy energy to fuel our workouts. It will keep you healthier and younger looking in the long run.

December 3, 2013 · Blog

Healthy Conception

Why should we be mindful and thoughtful about conception? One reason is the alarming number of birth defects we are seeing here in America. 1 in 8 children have Autism. There are also rising levels of auto immunity problems in children.We are not seeing these rates in 3^rd world countries.We are malnourished and saturating ourselves in environmental toxins.The good news is we can learn to do better.

Back in the day when Dr. Weston A. Price traveled the world studying indigenous cultures, he found their treatment of people who would be trying to conceive a baby to be very special. They would be fortified with the most nutritious foods, high levels of fat-soluble vitamins and calcium. There was a reverence for conceiving, carrying and nursing-moms.

Men as well were well prepared with a pre-conception diet high in cholesterol rich fats like butter, egg yolks and organ meats and fat-soluble vitamins. Intuitively these cultures knew the healthiest preparation for conception.

Here in our culture today we see young brides and grooms starving themselves to fit into their wedding gowns and Tuxedos, yikes!

One very interesting bit of information is that these indigenous cultures practiced child spacing. They allowed moms to replenish nutrients for 3 years before having another child…. interesting. With the high rate of post-partum depression and knowing how malnutrition plays such a strong role in that, it may be something to think about. It is also well known that the 2^nd child and on are more likely to have Autism because the moms are depleted of vital nutrients.

So what else can we do to ensure we are in good condition to conceive a child?One important thing is to make sure your gut health is up to par.

-If a person has been on antibiotics they need a good time frame for clean up; A good year on the GAPS diet with sugar and caffeine out and fermented cultured foods in. Also eating good sources of animal fats and organ meats. I know someone who hates the taste of liver but cuts it up and swallows it like a pill so they can get the important nutrition it offers.

-Get rid of plastic and xenobiotics. They are estrogen like compounds that affect the hormonal balance. Use glass as #1 preference.

-Make sure your iodine levels are right. It is critical for the IQ of the baby.

-Also make sure your B vitamins levels are good. If necessary take a good quality supplement especially for B6 and folic acid.

-Clean up your home environment. Make sure it is non-toxic and that you have pure water.

Let’s work on communicating these ideas for a good foundation for pregnancy and the developing fetus. In a culture obsessed with weight and thinness we need to reconsider how important good nutrition really is. It needs a lot more attention than its been given, for the sake of the coming generations.

November 20, 2013 · Blog

Aging, What Causes It and What are The Best Super Foods to Help

What really causes aging? The main problem is when cells degrade too fast.

One of the biggest causes of rapid aging is the over-expression of insulin. And you guessed it; this is caused by the wrong food choices such as processed foods, sugar, grains as well as large portion sizes.

The over expression of insulin creates excessive ROS (Reactive Oxygen species). That is the most dangerous and potent free radical in the body.

ROS causes leaky mitochondria. The Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

This chemical reaction causes the electron transport system to fail, which causes the ATP to fail. ATP is basically the energy currency of life. It is a molecule that stores all the energy that comes from food.

Therefore controlling insulin is vital for youthfulness and longevity.

You have all heard me talk about how important it is to eat good fats. Another thing that causes the mitochondria to rust is rancid industrial oil.

Mutated oils like Canola, sunflower and vegetable oil don’t fit with the lipid bilayer of the mitochondria. These lipid bilayers are made up of healthy fats. Healthy fats from say grass-fed animals, give the mitochondrial lipid bilayer a strong shape and provide cell permeability that mitochondria need for cell communication.

So I hear you saying “Joy, just tell me what to eat!!” And I will.
Anti-aging foods

One of the most anti-aging foods you can eat is organ meat from grass-fed animals.

Liver is so anti-aging. It is mandatory for mitochondrial health. It contains coq10 and should be eaten 3 times a week for maximum benefit.

Another anti-aging super food is Seafood. Seafood is high in B3, manganese, potassium and magnesium. Magnesium is so important to cell health because without magnesium you cannot create ATP. Our soil is depleted of magnesium, which affects animal protein and all vegetable sources. However our seafood’s are rich in this mineral. Best choices are;

Seaweed

Kelp

Atlantic fish

Caribbean fish

*Avoid pacific seafood due to Fukashima.

Another group of Anti-aging foods contains;

Onions

Garlic

Cabbage, brussel sprouts

I recommend cooking these as it releases more minerals, flavonoids and essential cofactors in optimizing mitochondria. They also contain quercetin, which is an anti-inflammatory. Eat them often!

Broccoli is another anti aging super food. It is better to eat broccoli cooked. The sulfur compounds in broccoli helps mitochondria with methylation. Which means that it prevents the degradation of mitochondria.

The best way to incorporate these foods into your diet is menu planning! The more you plan ahead and make shopping lists so you have the ingredients on hand the more you will increase your rate of success. I guess that means the younger you will stay!

September 30, 2013 · Blog

Exercise Snacks

I know I am like most mothers and I think my children are brilliant, beautiful beings. But in my case it’s really true! God bless them! I will give you one example. Last week I was sitting with my daughters Yvonne and Laura and my son Michael. We were shooting the breeze, laughing a lot and talking about our lives.

I was telling them how I am having a problem with too much sitting. I never used to sit down. All day I was moving. How ever since I became a health coach and health blogger, I am sitting more than ever. Sure I get at least ½-1 hour of vigorous exercise, but the rest of my day I find myself sitting a lot.

I did ask my family for a treadmill desk for my birthday,( that I still want, hint, hint) but they just don’t like the concept. I still have hope that one day I will be blogging and walking on my treadmill desk simultaneously.

Getting back to the story, Michael brilliantly suggested ” Ma you have to take a few “EXERCISE SNACKS’!”

Every hour to hour and ½ of sitting, take a five-minute exercise spurt. Well you heard it here first folks, I am officially coining that phrase in my son Michael Harari’s name!!

Exercise Snack, ha! I love it! What do you do for an exercise snack? Share your ideas in the comments below!

Now I will give you all the same idea. Take exercise snacks when you have been sitting too long. It’s great, life changing. What a great pick me up. It not only helps the circulation in your legs, but I bet it will get your brain speed back up to normal as well! A couple of rounds of jumping jacks, a brisk walk for 5 min., a sprint around the block or a couple of rounds of burpies should do it. Set the timer on your phone so you don’t sit too long, and go for it!!

If you see me speed walking or running up and down my street, you will know I am just “Snacking”!

August 7, 2013 · Blog

Just Say Yes!

When clients ask me what they shouldn’t eat, my answer usually goes something like this;

“You know what you shouldn’t eat, my job is to tell you what you should eat.”

Some how with old and young alike the minute you say no to something, that’s the very thing they want, and they want it bad!!

My advice to parents, husbands and wives is to accentuate the positive. Instead of telling your loved ones to put down the cookies and chips, offer up their favorite veggies and fruits.

I actually learned this lesson the hard way. Back in the day, I freaked out when I saw my kids, or any kids for that matter eating sugar, high fructose corn syrup, blue ices, and other chemically laden things.

My reactions backfired big time. My children told me, as they got older, about how they used to stuff themselves with sugar (and everything else I said not to eat) when the opportunity came up.

It is so much more effective to focus on what you can say yes to, in a positive non-reactive way.

A little bit of psychology goes a long way. Instead of saying “I am not buying sugar cereal it’s poisonous!” You can say “Oh we ran out of that, try this…..”

If a child asks for something you do not want them to have, you can firmly say ” That is not one of our choices today. You can choose A or B.” Let them choose from 2 or 3 healthy options that they like.

I also want to suggest good old bribery to get your kids to try new vegetables and healthy foods they’re not used to. It takes 3 times for a child to be exposed to a new food and for them to like it. So write down each time they try something new. After 15 times of trying new foods, buy them an agreed upon gift. It can be inexpensive and small.

I’ve been seeing amazing things happen with these simple guidelines. Children who only ate chicken nuggets and noodles are now eating broccoli, string beans and asparagus, and they love it!

Do you have any good ways to coax a picky eater? Share with us in the comments below.

July 10, 2013 · Blog

Welcome to Holland

A young mother gives birth. She knows this child well. This baby kicked and moved about and the mother understood the child’s special energy. Sometimes, between the 1^st and 4th birthday typically, some children receive a dreaded diagnosis of a spectrum disorder.
The feelings a mother has at a time like this are fear, and worry, maybe panic. The beautiful “Welcome to Holland” story says it like no other.

I love this mom’s analogy. She describes having a child with a disability like planning a trip to Italy but ending up in Holland. It’s not bad, it’s just different. It’s not what you were expecting and now you have to navigate this new place with no itinerary.

A health coach is like your travel agent/ concierge. We help you navigate Holland and help to make it the best trip ever.

(read “Welcome to Holland” HERE)

I am guessing that a lot of parents would like to take back the responsibility and control of their child’s situation. That is where we come in. Those of you who have been reading my blog know I believe very strongly that the brain and gut are totally linked together. We work to help with the challenges of diet change and behavioral issues. The results, healing and behavoiral changes have been astounding. We begin with the following challenges.

Challenge #1– knowing what you can and cannot eat.

What really happens; often when people begin they look at a long laundry list of stuff they can’t eat. So they feel deprived, confused and HUNGRY.

What a Coach does; We help navigate the whole landscape of new foods. We translate old unhealthy choices into healthful ones. We menu plan and answer questions in emails and emergency texts from the grocery store. We help to create substitutes for favorite foods that are delicious, satisfying and easy.

Challenge #2- slowly incorporating different ways to detoxify and change the digestion.

What really happens; people take on these tasks and they start to feel like it’s a full time job.

What a Coach does; We help develop a doable routine that is fun and easy.

Challenge #3-rebuilding gut flora;

What really happens; every member in the family, because of the changes being implemented, feels the resistance.

What a Coach does; We try to meet the emotional needs of all family members and give support with solutions that become part of day-to-day life.

Yes there are challenges, but with the right support a parent can meet them with a smile, and take back control of their child’s health and healing. One of my favorite Client Mom’s recently told me “Had I known how easy my life was going to be, I would have welcomed the challenges with open arms!”

June 26, 2013 · Blog

Want to Detox? Try Oil Pulling!

I have been hearing an awful lot of that word “Detox” lately. It is loaded. So many complicated, expensive and even dangerous detoxification methods are around these days.

Oil pulling is so simple. It is a practice taken from Ayurvedic traditions. It involves

Swishing unrefined oil in your mouth for several minutes (I do it for 20 minutes). I use coconut oil. Some people use olive oil and some use sesame oil. So many people are reporting crazy results from this practice. Some reported benefits include everything from curing gingivitis to aiding weight loss and major improvements in arthritis.

Other users note;

-whiter teeth

-healthy gums

-increased energy

-decreased migraine headaches

-clear sinuses

-less severe asthma

-decreased allergies

-improved PMS symptoms

-regulated menstrual cycles

-better sleep

-clear skin

Oil pulling is known as a powerful detoxification method. Dr. Bruce Fife, author of Oil Pulling Therapy says “Oil pulling is one of the most remarkable methods of detoxification and healing I have ever experienced in my career as a naturopathic physician.”

How do you do Oil Pulling?

Traditionally unrefined sunflower or sesame oil was used for oil pulling, but unrefined olive oil or coconut oil come highly recommended as well.

-Ideally oil pulling is done first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

-Use about one tablespoon of oil.

-Swish the oil slowly and methodically not vigorously.

-Try to reach every part of your mouth with the oil.

-BE CAREFUL NOT TO SWALLOW THE OIL!!

-Continue swishing for at least 10 minutes, preferably more like 20 minutes.

-Spit out the oil and rinse your mouth out well with pure water.

-Brush your teeth well afterwards.

Oil pulling can be done as often as you like. Daily oil pulling is recommended.

Here I am talking about amazing health benefits and my favorite results are totally vain…Here it is; I am obsessed with clean teeth! It makes me feel better than when I go to the dentist for a cleaning. My teeth never feel as clean or look as white as they do after oil pulling. Ahh…nice!! Of course I will take all the Health benefits too, happily!! 🙂

May 29, 2013 · Blog

What’s Eating You?

Whether we have an addiction to dieting, binging, work, drinking or drugs; Or if we act out by getting angry, it is widely known that our emotions and feelings are underneath it all.

We all don’t like to feel unpleasant emotions. It’s easier to stuff them down with food, or raise our adrenaline with other things, which kind of helps us escape the pain. Those behaviors actually change brain chemistry, temporarily, until the feelings resurface (which they will).

This week I did an experiment with myself. I was feeling very down and when I am in that state, I usually try to find a new diet or approach to eating, (which I find extremely exciting). It is an escape and sends my adrenaline way up. It also distracts me.

This time I said no to that. I even said no to tapping. I chose to stay in pain and feel my feelings. No suppression. No escape. Just felt the feelings. To my surprise, it wasn’t all that bad! The next day I woke up much happier, with my usual sunny outlook.

My feelings were fully felt, had their say, and moved on. It is amazing.

I am starting to believe it can be less painful, and less complicated to feel than to suppress and deal with the aftermath and drama.

In my research to help clients with anger, binging and other destructive behaviors, that is always the advice from the experts like Marianne Williamson and Gene Monterastelli; Identify your feelings.

Shame

Anger

Fear

Unforgiveness

Judgement

Disdain

Excess responsibility

Pressure

Exhaustion

Burden

Stress

Heartbreak

The list goes on. I agree that many feelings take time and can be helped with tapping. But, even tapping is so much more effective when we can be really specific and identify our feelings.

So next time you feel like running away from a painful emotion; stop, identify and feel. (It’s like stop, drop and roll at a fire, and just as scary). Try to be courageous; it is never as bad as we think it will be.

Before you binge and eat your feelings, please ask, “What’s eating you?”.

May 22, 2013 · Blog

Some of My Best Friends are Germs

Here it is people; I am feeling quite smug and a bit self righteous today, and I will tell you why. The New York Times Magazine put out an article this past Sunday that supports everything I have been saying for a really long time.

Clients and family members called and quoted all week long as they referred to “the Germ article”. AMEN brother Micheal Pollan!!

I have been known to say, with all my heart and a lot of passion:

“Take your Probiotics.”

“Eat probiotic rich foods like kefir, real pickles, sauerkraut and kombucha tea. “

“Stay away from sugar and grains that fuel bad bacteria.”

“Antibiotics!! They will kill your intestinal ecosystem! Use them only if absolutely necessary!!”

“The health of your gut is EVERYTHING!!”

If I had a dollar for every time I have said those things I would be a gazillionaire!! Many clients do listen, and then they get healthy mentally and physically. Aspergers, ADD, Depression, Bipolar, Metabolic disorders, name it.

I have seen huge changes in gut health and then everything changes for the better.

Michael Pollan doesn’t offer the exact same dietary recommendations as I do, but I base my recommendations on solid evidence gleaned from experts in gut health and real results I have seen in my clients.

This excerpt from the Times article goes on to show the power of a good intestinal community.

“Justin Sonnenburg, a microbiologist at Stanford, suggests that we would do well to begin regarding the human body as “an elaborate vessel optimized for the growth and spread of our microbial inhabitants.” This humbling new way of thinking about the self has large implications for human and microbial health, which turn out to be inextricably linked. Disorders in our internal ecosystem — a loss of diversity, say, or a proliferation of the “wrong” kind of microbes — may predispose us to obesity and a whole range of chronic diseases, as well as some infections. “Fecal transplants,” which involve installing a healthy person’s microbiota into a sick person’s gut, have been shown to effectively treat an antibiotic-resistant intestinal pathogen named C. difficile, which kills 14,000 Americans each year. (Researchers use the word “microbiota” to refer to all the microbes in a community and “microbiome” to refer to their collective genes.) We’ve known for a few years that obese mice transplanted with the intestinal community of lean mice lose weight and vice versa. (We don’t know why.) A similar experiment was performed recently on humans by researchers in the Netherlands: when the contents of a lean donor’s microbiota were transferred to the guts of male patients with metabolic syndrome, the researchers found striking improvements in the recipients’ sensitivity to insulin, an important marker for metabolic health. Somehow, the gut microbes were influencing the patients’ metabolisms.”

Please Read the full article Here.

Like I tell all the children I work with, “If you eat healthy food like good quality protein, veggies, and probiotic foods, you feed the good guys. The bad guys will be screaming for sugar and processed foods. They say ‘Feed me feed me!’. Don’t feed the bad guys!!! Oh and one more thing; Feel free to get rid of the PURELL!

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