Luckily there is also evidence that if you can eliminate those addictive foods for 30 days, you can reset your brain, eliminating the cravings. After that period, some people say that they actually crave healthy foods. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight would be so much easier for many of us if we could create healthy cravings. That 30 day period can be extremely difficult though. MindBodyGreen has come up with a 10 step guide that you can use to help you get through the reset period. Check it out here: Break your Emotional Ties with Sugar: A 10 Step Guide.

For a little more information on food addiction, check out this article: Overeating, Like Drug Use, Rewards and Alters Brain.

Apples top the 2013 Dirty Dozen list with the highest pesticide residues for the 3rd year in a row. Cherry tomatoes and hot peppers are new to the list this year, bumping off blueberries and lettuce.

Here are some scary facts about the Dirty Dozen:

• Every sample of imported nectarines tested positive for pesticides.
• 99% of all apple samples tested positive for at least one pesticide.
• The average potato had a much high total weight of pesticides than any other food group.
• A single grape tested positive for 15 different pesticides. The same was true for a single bell pepper.
• Single samples of celery and cherry tomatoes tested positive for 13 pesticides each.

To check out the full Dirty Dozen list as well as the Clean 15 visit the EWG website.

Real, whole foods have a stigma of being expensive and prep-heavy. It can also be intimidating to try and work with foods and techniques that you have never been introduced to. If you’ve been eating frozen pizzas, cereal and boxed pasta your whole life, trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of kale and a bag of quinoa could be pretty stressful. What you need to do is take it slow, and keep it simple. Follow these tips for easy ways to incorporate more whole foods and save some money:

1. Shop and Chop.
   One of the biggest complaints about buying fresh fruits and vegetables that people have is that they just sit in the fridge and go bad. One way to combat this issue is to prep out your fresh fruit and vegetables right when you get home from the store, before you put them in the fridge. Wash and chop up your greens so they are ready to be made into a salad or sauteed. Chop up your mango or pineapple so that it is ready to go for snacking (or to throw into that salad).
   This same idea can be applied to other foods. Make a big pot of quinoa or beans at the beginning of the week and you will have enough for multiple meals. You can even freeze some for a later date. Then all you have to do is pull out your frozen beans, thaw them and reheat.
   Not only will this cut down on meal prep time later, it will also make these foods more attractive to you — you will be more likely to eat them if you don’t have to do the prep when you are hungry. So you save money because you are actually eating the food before it goes bad, and you are saving time.
2. Make flexible shopping lists.
   Instead of writing down specific produce to buy, make a flexible shopping list. Write down that you need some sort of leafy green, plus another vegetable and 2 fruits. Then when you get to the store, you can see what is on sale and buy that. This can also introduce more variety into your diet. Maybe papaya is on sale and you’ve never tried it.
3. Cruise the frozen aisle.
   Buying frozen vegetables and fruits can be more cost effective, especially when those things are not in season. There is nothing wrong with eating frozen foods. They can actually be more nutrient dense than their fresh counterparts because they are frozen when they are at their peak freshness. Fresh produce if often picked before it’s fully mature and can travel from halfway across the world before it gets to you.
4. Think big with protein.
   This applies mostly to animal proteins. This is one area where you don’t want to skimp on price. It is important to buy high-quality, grass-fed meat that has not been treated with antibiotics or hormones, and organic whenever possible. They way you can save money here is to buy larger cuts, but also eat smaller portions. For example, instead of just buying chicken breasts, buy a whole chicken. It will cost you less per pound and it will last several meals. You can also freeze what you don’t eat for future meals.
5. Bulk up.
   If your store has bulk bins, take advantage of them. You can buy many staple ingredients there for cheaper than the pre-packaged versions. You can find protein sources here, such as beans, which are much cheaper than animal protein. You can also find lots of whole grains, nuts and seeds here.
6. Stay local and seasonal.
   If you can go organic with all of your produce, focus on staying local and seasonal. Local, seasonal fruits and vegetables are cheaper because there is usually a larger supply and they don’t have to travel as far to get to you. They will also be more nutrient dense.
7. Sip water.
   Packaged beverages, like juices and soda, can put a huge dent in your grocery bill. Just drink water instead!

And remember, when you are purchasing whole foods, you aren’t just paying for a meal. You are also paying for energy, long life, happiness and a healthy body. With processed foods you may pay less up front, but there could be serious costs down the road. Costs not only in medical bills, but also in quality of life.

Here is a summary of the data:

• The BMI of female community gardeners was an average of 1.84 points lower than non-gardening neighbors (a 11 pound difference for a 5′ 5” woman).
• The BMI of male community gardeners was an average of 2.36 points lower than non-gardening neighbors (a 16 pound difference for a 5′ 10” man).
• The likelihood of being overweight or obese was 46% lower for female gardeners.
• The likelihood of being overweight or obese was 62% lower for male gardeners.
• The average BMI for female gardeners was 1.88 points lower when compared to their sisters.
• The average BMI for male gardeners was 1.33 points lower when compared to their brothers.

To read the full article about the study click here!

This is what their top ten were:

1. Keep a food journal.
2. Drink a LOT of water.
3. Plan your meals ahead of time.
4. Watch your portion sizes
5. Don’t diet.
6. Ditch the negative self-talk and the naysayers.
7. Carve time to de-stress and relax.
8. Sleep at least 7 hours a night.
9. Move yo’ body.
10. Be consistent in all your efforts.

For more information on each rule, read the original article. Here is the link to the article again: 10 Rules To Live By If You’re Trying To Lose Weight.

Most families buy fat-free or reduced fat milk for their families. This is often per the guidance from doctors and pediatricians. The recommendation is based on studies that low fat milk reduces concentrations of bad cholesterol and also the idea that reducing calories will protect against weight gain.

A study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, found the opposite. Pre-school children who consumed fat-free or low-fat milk actually weighed more than their full fat drinking peers. The trend was found to hold up across all racial and ethnic groups as well as socio-economic groups. Other studies have has similar findings. Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that fat-free and low-fat milk consumption also resulted in weight gain among 9 to 14 year olds. Children’s Hospital in Boston found that preschoolers who grew up drinking whole milk has lower BMI’s (body mass index).

Cutting out fat is not helping protect kids against obesity. Calories in, calories out does not work.

Any fat-free or low-fat product is a processed product. It has to be processed in order to remove the fat. And then they usually end up adding more stuff in or taking more stuff out as well. Instead of choosing processed foods, choose foods as close to the state that nature intended them to be. That means you’ll be buying full fat dairy. These high fat foods need to be balanced with protein, vegetables and carbohydrates; that is the key. You can’t just eat as much high fat dairy as you want — you have to balance it.

You also have to get a variety of healthy fats, so not just fat from dairy, but fat from nuts and seeds, healthy oils, olive and avocados, to name a few. One of the reasons including fat in your diet is so important is for satiety reasons. Full fat foods are much more satisfying than their fat-free counterparts. They will fill you up faster and cut cravings; that is what they are supposed to do. If you don’t satisfy your needs, you will find yourself eating more than you should. Full fat, real foods will have you eating less because you’ll get more satisfaction from your food.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/19/174739752/whole-milk-or-skim-study-links-fattier-milk-to-slimmer-kids

Pre-diabetes means that you have higher than normal blood sugar levels. If you continue to have high blood sugar levels, you are in danger of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

Whether or not you have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, you should be concerned and aware of your blood sugar levels. Everyone has some degree of insulin resistance, caused by various lifestyle factors and eating habits. Factors that increase your insulin resistance are: eating too many carbs, skipping meals, eating fast food, not exercising, being overweight and family history, just to name a few.

Making changes in the areas of exercise and diet can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by 58%. That is more than traditional drug therapy used! Metformin reduces the risk of developing diabetes by 31%.

What are some changes that you can make to reduce your risk?

• Eating balanced meals. You need to include a vegetable, protein, healthy fat and carbohydrate at every meal. Most of your carbohydrates should come from fruit. At Optimal Body Balance, we determine the right balance of each of the components for you individually.
• Never eat carbohydrates by themselves! Eating carbs alone (without protein, fat and vegetables) will cause a blood sugar spike. Doing this habitually will lead to high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.
• Exercise! 30 minutes of physical activity per day is excellent! At least aim for 30 min, 3 times a week.
• Don’t drink soda of any kind. That includes diet. Regular soda is obviously loaded with sugar, sure to cause a blood sugar spike. Diet soda can still affect your insulin levels! Your body still reads diet soda as incoming calories, it releases insulin in expectation — when no calories arrive, your body freaks out because your hormone levels are off. This causes hunger and and overall increased calorie consumption, as well as eventual insulin resistance.