4 Sneaky Food Ingredients that Cause Major Health Problems

Eating healthier has turned me into a major label reader. This is somewhat of a blessing and a curse. Im learning day by day that there are some scary things in our food that we dont even realize are there. And some of these things we hear about on the news but dont really care because the food just tastes too good to give up.

From me to you, this is my honest warning about four pretty common ingredients that may be approved by the FDA in small doses, but appear in our food way more frequently that wed assume making us more susceptible to some of the major side effects.

High Fructose Corn Syrup
High fructose corn syrup is used in place of a more expensive ingredient called cane sugar. Cane sugar is sugar in its natural form. the HFCS industry leads us to believe that because it comes from corn, it is totally safe and even somewhat natural. Wrong. Your body doesnt process HFCS  the same way it would process cane sugar. In short, cane sugar takes time to break down and digest meaning it affects your body slower. HFCS doesnt require digestion so it hits your blood stream more quickly causing spikes in insulin levels and a more rapidly occurring process of fat storage. HFCS can also cause increased appetite, fatty liver disease and diabetes. The Huffington Post has a really in depth article on HFCS that is worth the read.

Foods to look out for: Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Oreos, Miracle Whip, and even Vicks Nyquil Cough medicine. Click here for a more complete list.

Brominated Vegetable Oil
This ingredient is made up of bromine which is used as a flame retardant. Its most commonly used in citrus beverage to keep the flavors from separating. So if you drink a lot of Mountain Dew or Diet Mountain Dew you are at risk for something called Bromide Dominance. This is when the bromine builds up in your tissue and prevents iodine metabolism. Iodine deficiency increases risks of breast, thyroid, ovary and prostate cancer. There are several blogs out there with more information on the risks of BVO and why companies use it.

Foods to look out for: Mountain Dew of most varieties

Monosodium Glutamate 
MSG literally acts like a drug in your brain. The purpose of MSG is to boost the flavor of food, but it doesnt actually do anything to the actual flavor. The work of MSG is done in the brain. It triggers your brain to release dopamine which in turn increases your enjoyment of the food. The affects are eerily similar to the temporary high of a drug addict. Subsequently, MSG is highly addictive and leads to overeating. MSG is in a lot of processed and packaged foods. Because so many processed foods are made of cheap ingredients, manufacturers use MSG to make the cheaper product taste good when in reality, the only reason we think it tastes good is because a chemical is forcing our brains to relate the release of dopamine to eating cheap foods. FoodMatters.tv has written some very compelling articles on MSG that will definitely change the way you think about processed foods.

Foods to look out for: Cup-o-Noodles, Hidden Valley Ranch products, Pringles. Click here for a more complete list.

Aspartame
What if I told you that you were drinking the feces of one of the deadliest bacteria in the world? I bet youd put your drink down and run to the nearest toilet to puke. Well, if you drink or eat things with aspartame, you are. Recently, the patent for aspartame was released to the public and it confirms that aspartame is made by taking the feces of genetically modified E. Coli bacteria and soaking it in methanol. The process is shocking and unnerving. As if the thought of drinking E. Coli pooh doesnt turn your stomach enough, consider the side effects of aspartame poisoning which include joint pain, menstrual cycle irregularities, seizures, migraines and more.

Foods to look out for: Chewing gum such as Extra, Yogurts including brands like Dannon, Diet sodas and more. 

Do you read ingredient labels when you shop? If not it may be time to start. After doing the research on these ingredients I am convinced that soda is entirely out of my diet. Its becoming more and more obvious that packaged foods are less food and more chemicals. The reasoning behind eating clean and making treats from scratch is becoming stronger and stronger in my mind.

Does this make you want to give up some of those process snacks? If so, which ones?

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4 Mistakes that could be Ruining your HCG Diet

This isnt your first rendezvous for the HCG Diet. You know what youre doing. But for some reason, every once in awhile your weight loss seems to slow or stall. And that is frustrating, even for an HCG Diet veterans like you and me.

 We like to think we know what were doing, weve read Pounds and Inches, weve gone through every page of the guidebook, and maybe even got our hands on Lose 50 Pounds Guaranteed, but somehow even us veteran HCG Dieters miss details that could be slowing down our weight loss. 

Here are 4 things that may be ruining your HCG Diet:

Not Measuring
OK, lets be honest after our second or third week on the diet we lose interest in measuring everything we eat, at least I did. However, trust me when I say you need to measure, no matter what. The thing is, we think we know what 3.5 ounces of meat looks like but its easy to add an extra ounce and sometimes even two. Those extra ounces add up to extra calories and they can be slowing down your weight loss. So do it a night ahead or pack a food scale in your purse. This is one fine detail that when skipped adds up over time.

Over Compensating
Have you ever eaten something you were supposed to and thought, "I can fix this, Ill just do a Cali Kicker, some sit-ups, take green coffee, go for a walk, take my appetite control, and cut back on dinner." Im guilty of that train of thought. But you dont need to freak out like that. Just get back on track at your next meal and let your body correct the problem itself. If you do too many quick fixes at once youll confuse your body and the problem will only get worse.

Deviating from Protocol

I went through this phase where I was eating banana peppers because they are low-calorie and didnt have any oil, but the thing is they arent on the original protocol for a reason and that reason is sodium. There are also a lot of other things that seem like theyd be fine but they arent. For instance certain fruits like mango and watermelon are too high in sugar for the diet and can slow you down. Even unlisted veggies can cause problems. So simply put, if its not on the approved foods list... dont eat it.

Skipping Calories

Toward the end of Phase 2, I have a hard time getting all of my 500 calories in. I know that sounds crazy because Im not eating very much as it is, but the appetite suppressant in HCG Triumph drops is pretty powerful. So its tempting to skip out on your fruit or veggies, but then your body (even though it doesnt feel hungry) goes into starvation mode and you stop losing weight. Eat all of the food youre suppose to eat.

And for those of you who arent quite HCG vets, you may not have slipped into these bad habits yet, and thats good news. So take notes and make sure you never start. :) 

Are you guilty of any of the above diet blunders? What other bad habits have you found slow down your weight loss?

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Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies Second Attempt

I am a sucker for a chewy peanut butter cookie, and with fall on the way all I want to do is bake! Well... As much as I love baking delicious treats, my waistline doesnt. Instead of avoiding baking all together, Ive decided to try and make low carb alternatives to my favorite fall goodies. So, first up: Peanut Butter Cookies!

Just as a disclaimer, this is my second attempt at these cookies. The first one was using coconut flour and honey instead of flour and sugar. The cookies were wayyyy dry and had a very different texture.  I didnt do a blog on those because I felt like there had to be a better recipe, I just needed to figure it out. So,  the recipe Im sharing today is my second attempt. This one is flour-less and uses stevia as the sweetener (the only stevia I like is Trulicious. No gross after

taste and its blended with monk fruit!)

This one is MUCH better than the coconut flour recipe, but if you want to try the coconut flour

recipe, just post a comment and Ill give it to ya. Im still working on perfecting my recipe, but this is a good start. :) They are kind of dry and crumbly, but the flavor is awesome!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup Trulicious powdered stevia
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Mix ingredients together in a bowl. At first your dough is going to be runny, just keep mixing. Its going to stiffen right up. If youre not worried about eating a little bit of raw eggs, taste the batter to make sure it tastes sweet enough. If not, add a little more Trulicious. Roll the dough into melon baller sized balls and flatten with your fingers on the cookie sheet. I got about 24 cookies out of my batch. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet.

Pro tips: Dont store cookies in a Ziplock bag, lay them flat in a container. :) These little guys crumble pretty easily. Also, try sprinkling additional Trulicious on top of the cookies before you put them in the oven.

Nutritional Info:
These are actually a healthy option when you need your peanut butter cookie fix. One cookie has 127 calories, 3 net carbs and nearly 6 grams of protein (this is based on a batch of about 24 cookies).

These cookies are much better than my first attempt, but hopefully next time I make them I can figure out a way to make them a little more moist (sorry for using the M word). If you have any suggestions on how I can do that, feel free to post them in the comment section! Happy baking everyone!

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A TALE OF TWO MEALS BACON OR BAGEL FOR BREAKFAST MASSIVE HEALTH

I just found this on Massive Health.  So much good info in so little space!

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A Note About Health from one curvy girl to another

Last week I was on Pinterest, indulging myself in a pinning frenzy, and I came across one of the best blog posts I have ever read. Seriously, its one I will never forget. The post was titled, "Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls...So I Will," from the Militant Baker. Jes wrote about falling in love with my body, she wrote about confidence. As I read the words, I couldnt help but desperately relate to everything she was saying. I needed to read all of those things. Yet for some reason when I got to the end I was craving more. I loved that Jes focused so much on accepting our bodies how they are. But right now in my life I am in the middle of a major transformation. Ive started losing weight, not because Im ashamed of being fat, but because my health was at risk.

 So while I want to learn to accept my body the way it is, I also want to treat it better than I have in the past. And maybe Jes and I dont see eye to eye on this idea, but I believe that with accepting ourselves comes the desire for self improvement. Im not talking about changing the way you look to fit in with what the world says a woman should look like. Im talking about changing the way way you feel. Im talking about improving quality of life, Im talking about being healthy no matter what you weigh or what section of the store you buy jeans in. So I decided to write a note about health to all the curvy women out there. Not to add to or correct anything Jes said, but to address a similar issue from a different perspective. And in the off chance that she sees this, I want to thank Jes for her blog, I deeply appreciate her perspective, and she is an inspiring woman. 

So to get started....

You Can be Healthy and Curvy

In junior high I was on dance company and in the best shape of my life, but somehow I was still a little chunky. My mom was puzzled about my weight. She didnt understand how I could be dancing 5-10 hours a week, eating well balanced meals at home, but still be overweight. She wasnt the only one who was confused, every time I went in for a check up with the doctor they tested my thyroid, my blood pressure, my cholesterol, blood glucose levels, and everything came back normal. While all my blood tests were fine, I was still classified as obese on the Body Mass Index. Through years and years of having the BMI chart pounded into my head I developed an extreme insecurity about my body. That stupid chart says I should be 125 pounds! I dont even think I weighed that in 6th grade! It seemed so frustrating and impossible to get to that point at the time that I eventually gave up on eating healthy and exercising. Thats how I ended up 285 pounds with high cholesterol. I gave up on being healthy because it was too overwhelming living up to a chart. 

At that time, heres what I didnt understand: the Body Mass Index does not figure in bone density, muscle mass or genetics. It only considers height and weight. It doesnt account for curves. It doesnt recognize that I inherited my aunts large boobs or my moms big hips and thighs. When I was in junior high and completely healthy by every standard but the Body Mass Index. I shouldnt have freaked out about that damn chart. I shouldnt have let it dictate how I felt about my body. But most importantly, I shouldnt have let it make me feel so overwhelmed that I turned to unhealthy habits. 

So when I finally recommitted myself to getting healthy, by the time I got down to 210 from 285 my cholesterol was normal, my blood pressure was fine, my blood glucose levels were of no concern, and I was still a long way off from being considered a healthy weight by the BMI. Thats when I realized that it is possible to be curvy and healthy. I have a hard time believing I will ever get down to 125 pounds. And Im O.K. with that as long as Im doing everything I can to ensure that my body is healthy and functioning properly. Im not at my goal weight, but losing weight now has turned into less of a focus on the number on the scale and more about getting my body to the point that I can do any physical activity I want with more comfort and confidence. 

You Dont Need a Thigh Gap to be Happy
When I first started working with social media in the health industry, I would spend hours searching through pins, posts and tweets to see what people were talking about. Thats when I came across"Thinspo."  Thinspo or Thinspiration is a culmination of meal plans, quotes, images and workouts to help girls get unrealistically thin. I spent time looking at profile after profile of women obsessed with Thinspo, fixated on the appearance of their bodies. I noticed a common trend in all the profiles: most of these women yearned for coveted thigh gap (you know the thigh gap, right? Where if you stand with your feet together, the top of your thighs dont touch). But that wasnt the only trend, most of them also had eating disorders or engaged in self mutilation.I looked at pictures of fast plans, self-hate notes, bottles of laxatives, shallow cuts, small puncture wounds, girls with ribs sticking out, and girls with yellowed teeth. I looked until I was in tears. I wondered how these girls got to that point, so lost and so deep in the haze of self hatred that they forget to care for their physical well being. 

Heres the thing, when we start obsessing about the way we look, we neglect the way we feel. We focus all of our energy on unrealistic physical goals and it makes us feel inadequate. Those emotions go unchecked and they build until we reach a breaking point. Weve all experienced self loathing or insecurity about our bodies on some level, but never let those insecurities dictate something as important as your health.These women are hurting and they have a hard time loving their bodies. They work and work to get that thigh gap and when they do its never good enough. What they dont realize is that skinny thighs dont bring happiness. You can be stick thin and still hate your body. You can be stick thin and completely unhealthy on a physical and emotional level. So heres my point: obsessing over your body will not bring you happiness, in fact it can do the exact opposite. I have thick thighs, it would take drastic measures to get a thigh gap, and Im not willing to do that to myself. My thighs will be as big or small as they are when Im eating healthy and exercising, theres nothing wrong with having a little meat on the bone, ladies, so long as youre focusing on improving your quality of life.

Youll Never Look Like a Model, and Thats Good

The fashion industry isnt necessarily kind to curvy girls. Most of the models used in magazines are a size 2-4.     Even models used in plus-size advertisements are on the smaller side of being plus size, some are even a size 8-10. Not only are these women pretty small to begin with, but they go through airbrushing and touch-ups in Photoshop to slim down legs, brighten skin, remove blemishes, and smooth out rolls. What you see in the magazines is not real life. I know youve heard it before. But seriously, its not real. I dont want to burst your bubble, but even if you buy what the ad is selling youre not going to look like the model selling it. And honestly, 99% of the time, the model in the photo doesnt even look like that in real life. When you look at someone in a magazine and aspire to have her flat stomach or pencil-thin legs, youre not looking at something real. Youre not looking at something realistic to aspire to. Youre looking at a distorted picture. Its fake, and you deserve better than fake. You are beautiful even if you dont look like you stepped out of a magazine. And I know at times thats easy to forget, you know, that theres more to life than looking like society wants you to, but its so important to make an effort to remind yourself of your personal worth. I find that the more I fall in love with my body, the more I want to spoil myself with eating healthy food and getting off the couch and doing something active.

Not All Skinny Girls are Bitches

You see a girl, shes gorgeous and thin, guys are flocking around her and while you dont know her, you secretly hate her. Shes a skinny bitch. Ever done this? Im not proud of it, but I have had this judgmental attitude before. Sometimes I just think, "She has no idea what its like to shop in the plus size section, she doesnt know what its like being me." True. She doesnt, but that doesnt mean that she doesnt have her own struggles. Maybe shes struggled with some of the same self-image issues you have but on a different level. Or maybe she spends hours in the gym sculpting that body that you assume comes so effortlessly. Just because someone hasnt had the exact same health struggles youve have had, doesnt mean they cant relate to the feelings associated with self improvement. Who knows, maybe that girl has done exactly what youre trying to do. Maybe she has some advice that could really help you out. Maybe shes looking for a workout buddy. When did it become OK to not like someone based on the fact that they are smaller than you? Honestly, its juvenile. As someone who is curvy, I am always hopeful that people give me the benefit of the doubt regardless of how I look. So its very hypocritical of me to not give someone the benefit of the doubt because their size makes me feel self conscious. Its hard to take care of your body when youre constantly comparing yourself and hating on others bodies. And the bottom line: Negativity isnt healthy. 

Curvy can be sexy, skinny can be sexy. Each is sexy in its own unique way and appreciated differently by different people, but whats even sexier than both of those physical characteristics is health. Healthy is sexy. The ability to enjoy life in whatever way you choose without being held captive by self-hate or insecurities is sexy. Health brings freedom. Life is much more enjoyable when you feel good inside and out. Ive learned that being healthy comes in all different shapes and sizes. Health is not a measure of how you look, its a measure of how you feel. 

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Life Update Balancing Life for Better Health

Life has this way of pulling you into chaos. When this happens, you hang on for dear life and pray you make it through.

Ive realized lately that I havent been very personal on here lately, mostly because Ive had some big things to handle recently and I tend to withdraw from friends, family, and readers when that happens.

Whenever I feel stressed, its usually because there is an imbalance in my life. My physical, mental, and emotional health are all very important to me. Usually when something goes amiss in one of those aspects, the other ones fall apart too. You cannot be healthy if any of those things are lacking. Its no surprise that as I started to get overwhelmed, I started to put on a few pounds here and there. Im not yet where I want to be because Ive been neglecting myself, and so I have made it a goal to refocus myself in every aspect of my life. So, just to catch everyone up... Heres what Im working on:

Physical

FitBit Fun! I got a fit bit a few weeks ago and its been so fun competing with my friends to get all my 10,000 steps in. :) I got the FitBit Zip on sale at Best Buy and its been an interesting challenge trying to move more on days when Im not scheduled to run! Each day I have the goal to hit 10,000 steps.

Speaking of Running... Last month I did phenomenal with my running. Each week I set up a schedule on Mondays and would make sure I stuck to that schedule. Three weeks ago, I finished a run and was having a really hard time breathing. A day later it was much worse and I went into see a doctor after having a really bad panic attack that led to a fit of coughing that I was not able to catch my breath from. I was having chest pain and felt terrible. Turned out I had a breathing virus causing inflammation in my lungs, and a fever of 103! I did a breathing treatment, was put on steroids and an inhaler, and told I needed to take a little break from running. That little break turned into about two weeks. The first week doctors orders, the second week being terrified that I wouldnt be able to finish a run without having an asthma attack. This week I am putting that fear aside and going for a good run tonight! :) My goal is to get my mileage up to 15 miles per week with my average mile time being 10:30. Im not a very fast runner, but I am enjoying celebrating the little victories of getting my mileage up and my pace down! Im also working toward increasing my long runs to 6.2 miles. Once I have my mileage up, Im going to work on my speed. Id like to be able to run a mile and a half in 11:56. 

As far as my diet goes, I am trying to cut out all candy this week. I am also trying to stick to 1300 calories M-F, 1500 calories Sat & Sun.. My focus is on eating balanced meals. Low carb during the week, and still being mindful during the weekends, trying to only eat whole grains. Woohoo. Ive been trying to take my focus off the number on the scale and instead focus on how well Im sticking to the goals above. If I do all these things above, I know my weight will be fine.

Mental

I am trying to take control of my life by taking control of my thoughts. I realized that Ive lost sight of some of the things I really enjoy just because Ive been too unmotivated to put the effort into keeping up with them. One of my goals to improve my mental healthy is to things that I dont want to do if I know they will improve or contribute to my life. So that pile of laundry that is sitting in my room, Im going to fold it. And that blog Ive been wanting to start, Im going to start it. That phone call Ive been needing to make, Im going to make it. Those articles and documentaries Ive been meaning to read, Im going to read them. One of my greatest fears in life is becoming stagnant. I dont want to settle. I want to progress. Progressing means overcoming yourself mentally and learning to push through the lazy thoughts that are holding you back. And thats exactly what I plan to do.

Emotional

Emotionally, Ive been having a difficult time. Going through a breakup basically destroys your confidence, then add all the other pressures of life onto that, and it becomes really easy to feel negative. Emotionally, Im trying to come to terms with the fact that being alone doesnt mean you have to feel lonely. My happiness is not dependent upon another person. Ive made a goal to be productive with my alone time instead of trying to escape it by making plans, spending all night on social media. Im also working on serving others to feel more confident about myself. I know that I have a lot to offer this world, and that thought is empowering, but if I never take opportunities to help others, I dont feel like Im living up to my full potential.

Remember that no matter how hectic your life gets, you still are capable of rising above all of the things that try to hold you down. Your life is in your hands. Your happiness is solely dependent upon how you react to situations. Are you going to be a victim in the your own story? Or are you going to be a hero? Its your choice. Ive made mine.

What are some of your goals?

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HCG Triumph Hormone Free Drops What makes them work

Today is my second day on the HCG Hormone Free drops from HCGDiet.com. So far, I feel great! My energy levels are fantastic, my hunger is under control, and despite loading up on crap, I have only had one mild detox headache. The best part? Im down 4.6 pounds. :) I am loving this new formula and Im excited to see how my body continues to respond over the next few days. The true test will be the next 6 pounds. That will put me below my lowest weight (in memory). Its so exciting!

The past two days Ive received a lot of crazy looks from fellow dieters when I tell them that Im trying hormone free drops. They usually say, "They wont work!" or, "You will be too hungry." I used to share that opinion of hormone free drops myself. When HCGDiet.com released their version of Hormone Free HCG Drops, I started doing some research on HCGDiet.coms formula compared to others, and I found that what my fellow dieters dont realize is that the formula Im using isnt like the watered-down, hormone free stuff they picked up in GNC or Wal-Mart just because it was affordable. The drops I am using are a quality version that HCGDiet.com has put a lot of time and money into formulating. Lets break down the formula of these new drops.

• Agnus castus (Chaste Tree Berry): Eases problems with menstruation, decreases headaches and inflammation
• Ammonium carbonicum: Eases fatigue, improves circulation
• Angelica sinensis (Dong Quai): Helps balance the female hormonal system, helps treat anemia, helps treat high blood pressure
• Calcarea carbonica: Increases energy, used to treat common symptoms of obesity
• Cimicifuga racemosa (Black cohosh): Eases symptoms of menopause, acts as a diuretic
• Dioscorea villosa (Wild Yam): Treats inflammation, high cholesterol, and menopause or PMS symptoms
• Phosphorus: helps the body more efficiently use carbs and fats
• Glycine: Helps treat metabolic disorders
• L-Arginine : Lowers blood pressure, improves kidney function
• L-Carnitine: Lowers cholesterol
• L-Ornithine: Improves muscle health
• Lysine: Helps maintain overall health
• Phenylalanine: Improves mood, helps with withdrawal symptoms
• Peppermint Essential Oil: Prevents Nausea and indigestion
• Tyrosine: Improves mood, ability to focus, acts as an appetite suppressant

I realize thats all a lot to take in, and I guess the point Im trying to make is this: HCG Hormone Free Drops are formulated to help support your body in nearly every way during the diet. They have ingredients that help you lose weight and feel good doing it. Not only do they improve the health of your body while you lose weight, they contain an appetite suppressant and fat burner so you can make the most out of your Hormone Free experience.

After doing the research, I have a lot of confidence in this product. I am looking forward  to seeing continued results and evaluating how the weight loss compares to HCGDiet.coms drops with the HCG hormone with the same protocol. If these first two days are any indication, this is going to be a really great round!
Have you ever used HCG Free drops? Did you have success? I want to read your experiences. Post your story below!

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How to Choose Health Supplements On HCG

Ive had a lot of questions about the health supplements I use while Im doing the HCG Diet. I made a Youtube video to address this. You can check it out below or by clicking here:



To purchase any of the products mentioned in the video, visit the links below.

Green Coffee: www.greencoffeetotal.com
Lemonade Diet: www.lemonadediet.com
Appetite Control: http://www.hcgdiet.com/hcg-triumph-raspberry-ketones-appetite-control.html

What health supplements do you use while on the HCG Diet?

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