What Are Good Hearty Snacks I Should Eat

• Raw Nuts (Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans)

• Trail mixes out of the bulk section of local stores

• Organic Food Bars,

• Shakes: Sp Complete Rice Protein, Xymogen (Fit Food Lite), (Opti-Cleanse Plus), (Opti-Cleanse GHI)

• Dynamic Greens (equivalent to 25 servings of vegetables and fruits

• Raw vegetables with humus or tahini (look online for recipes)

• Hard-boiled eggs

• Apples, pears or berries with almond butter

• Celery raw almond butter

• Raw or Cooked Carrots (bag of carrots in water for 10 minutes, strain add butter, salt and pepper)

• Raw broccoli dipped in raspberry vinaigrette dressing

• Almond Butter Sandwiches (one slice of gluten free bread)

• Lunch meats (see below) roll ups, especially wrapped in lettuce leaves or pack (spinach, jalapenos, or tomatoes) inside, Added bonus dip in spicy mustard or guacamole for different flavors

• Water-packed albacore tuna

• Crackers made with nuts (Nut Thins)

• Chips (Kettle chips, vegetable snacks) NO MSG version

• You can also pick up pre-packaged foods like tabouleh or brown rice dishes or make a salad at Whole Foods Market

• Spinach Salad. Add In: raw broccoli, carrots, mushrooms (for AB and B), onions boiled egg slices, and / or bell peppers (for B and O). Choose Vinaigrette or oil and vinegar to give this salad even more flavor and texture.

• Chicken Salad (For A and O) or tuna salad on an avocado (for A types only), tomato (for AB and O) or portobello  mushroom (for all Blood types)

• Soups (Amy’s, Gluten Free Health Valley Organics, Imagine, Nile Spice) Watch ingredients for your food allergies

• Green Bean Spears, (raw or steamed)

• Sliced Bell Peppers (B and O) dipped in favorite vinaigrette

• Sliced Zucchini (all types) dipped in favorite vinaigrette

• Yellow Squash Chips: Slice about size of chip, add pink salt/pepper (eat alone or dip in salsa salsa For AB and O) or (dip in tomatillo sauce or guacamole For A types)

• Pickled okra or cucumbers (for all blood types)

• Bison, Venison, Beef (B and O), Turkey, chicken (A and O) jerkies (watch for MSG and Nitrites)

• Asparagus Spears (bake or stove top) use olive oil as cooking agent

• Deviled brown eggs

• Tuna or salmon Salad

• Sunflower seeds (for A and O) or Safflower seeds (for AB and B)

Why Eat Snacks Through Out the Day

One of the best ways to keep good health is to snack between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. Most people living the standard stagnant lifestyle need to snack to keep there blood sugar up and keep their metabolism elevated. We see more people living with hypoglycemia than ever before. This is a physiological state where ones body's blood sugar swings up and down creating symptoms of headaches, shaky, moody, tired, achy, sleepy, and un-motivated and un-productive. Every patient that comes in is recommended to snack between meals. We do this because a huge key to your well being is keeping a stable, and steady blood sugar. Snacks are an important key to your success.

Have you ever wished eating your favorite snack food like Cheetos would be good for you? According to some snack food companies, that time is now. I disagree.
One food manufacturer claims it wants to help consumers find a "little shortcut to a healthier life." A new labeling system will indicate what are supposed to be 'smart food choices." Stickers currently mark products like baked Cheetos and by the end of 2004, more than 100 foods will be identified as "smart choices." Another snack maker introduced 100 Calorie Packs of its most popular snacks such as Chips Ahoy! to help consumers count their calorie intake.
This is not the concept I am promoting to you and your family. I fear the labels will encourage people to purchase food they should not eat. Many of the so-called smart foods may be better than their predecessors but still are not healthy choices.
Company officials argue that the stickers will make it easy to find better choices in a given category.
Some say big name companies are introducing these food campaigns to offer alternatives. Critics say they are simply trying to combat the increasing awareness and concern for obesity in the United States.

Well what is a snack? Is it cookies, cakes, M&M's, sodas? These regardless of their calorie counts are not going to promote health. Get the concept of snack foods being sugar foods and know that a snack is a small quick version of a meal in between your breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals. Eat every 2-3 hours. Snacking on almonds, walnuts, pecans, and seeds. Utilize nut butters and carrots, celery, or an apple. Utilize our snack options we have at the office, like Go Raw foods, artisana organic butters, organic food bars, dynamic greens, and our shakes products. We will have a more comprehensive list come tomorrow.

Water Consumption Guidlines

How Much Water Should You Drink?
So, how much pure filtered or spring water should you drink per day? Six glasses? Eight?

Well, here's a good rule of thumb:

You should be drinking enough water to turn your urine a light-colored yellow.
If you are outside on a hot day or engaging in strenuous activity, it is advisable to increase your water intake as needed. It is also important to note that as you age, your thirst mechanism works less efficiently. Older adults need to pay more attention to the color of their urine to see if their water intake is adequate.

I recommend your drinking 1 liter of water per 50 lbs of body weight. So if you are 150lbs you need a minimum of 3 liters or 96 oz of water per day. Consume an extra (liter/32 oz) of fluids for every hour of exercise.


When you should drink water?

Drink water between meals: That is a minimum of 30-60 minutes either side of a meal. I recommend only drinking enough water with your meals to take your supplement program. People don't realize that fluids with your meals dilute your stomach acids and slows your ability to digest your food. Fermentation and putrefaction in your colon are the consequence. This is basically rotting food in your colon. That is trouble.

Coconut Water and Vegetable Juicing – Adding a Little Variety
Coconuts are an excellent source of fresh, pure water and electrolytes. Coconuts are also rich in lauric acid, which is known for its immune-boosting as well as its antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties so it's an ideal choice when you're sick, or exercising heavily. Most of you know by know that your blood type is not a fan of coconuts and that is true. But when using the water it is a great addition to your program.

Symptoms of Dehydration
The  body can become dehydrated as we progress in age. At the same time, it disregards "dry mouth" as the only indicator of body thirst. The body gives other symptoms long before dry mouth is indicated. Other symptoms are:

• Dyspeptic Pain (heartburn, indigestion, stomach pains)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis pain (joint pains), 
• Angina Pain (heart pains, deep sternal chest pains,
• Low Back Pain, 
• Intermittent Claudication Pain (leg pain on walkking) 
• Migraines,
• Hangover Headaches,
• Colitis Pain (lower digestive issues,
• Constipation.

The Many Uses Of Water Part IV

Filtered Tap Water – Getting to the Gold

The most economical and environmentally sound choice you and your family can make is to purchase and install a water filter for your home. I recommend three different types of water filters and weigh the pros and cons of each. Let's take a brief look below.

Reverse Osmosis Filter
In addition to removing chlorine, inorganic, and organic contaminants in your water, an RO filter will also remove about 80 percent of the fluoride and most DPBs. The major drawback is the expense of installing an RO filter as most need a plumber to get up and running.

Ion Exchange Filter
Ion exchange is designed to remove dissolved salts in the water, such as calcium. This system actually softens the water or exchanges natural-forming mineral ions in the water with its own ions, thereby neutralizing their harmful effect of creating scale build-up.
The ion exchange system was originally used in boilers and other industrial situations before becoming popular in home purifying units, which usually combine the system with carbon for greater effectiveness.

Granular Carbon and Carbon Block Filters

These are the most common types of counter top and under counter water filters.

Granular carbon filters and carbon block systems perform the same process of contaminant removal, adsorption, which is the chemical or physical bond of a contaminant to the surface of the filter media.

Granular activated carbon is recognized by the EPA as the best available technology for the removal of organic chemicals like herbicides, pesticides and industrial chemicals. However, one of the downfalls of granular carbon filters is that the loose material inside can channel--the water creates pathways through the carbon material, escaping filtering.

 Carbon block filters offer the same superior filtering ability but are compressed with the carbon medium in a solid form. This eliminates channeling and gives the ability to precisely combine multiple media in a sub-micron filter cartridge. By combining different media, the ability to selectively remove a wide range of contaminants can be achieved.

Ideally, you want a filtration system that offers a variety of methods to remove different contaminants. Most systems do not address a combination of organic, inorganic, cyst, sediment and metals.

I'm pleased to announce that I have located a family of filters that I believe are the best filters on the market in terms of effectiveness, value, and ease of use. They are all manufactured in the U.S. under exclusive contract with a company specializing in advanced water treatment products, and will include both countertop and under-counter filters.
Big Berkey
Water Filter USA

Living Water – Keeping the Balance
In choosing the right type of water for you and your family, you want to aim for pH balance. Distilled water is too acidic and alkaline water is too alkaline. The ideal pH of your water should be between 6.5 to 7.5, which is neutral.

Mountain spring water is in this ideal range. It is some of the healthiest water on the planet because it is "living water". Living water, like "living food is in its raw, natural state the way nature intended.
One of the main reasons I am such an advocate for eating raw, organic vegetables is because these "living foods" contain biophotons, small units of light stored by all organic organisms, including you.
Gravity-fed spring water is alive in much the same way. When you take this vital energy into your body, you are re-charging it with health and encouraging it to return to a whole and balanced state.
Now, when I mention mountain spring water, I don't mean the two-gallon jugs you see sitting on your grocery store shelf. I'm talking about water you bottle yourself from a gravity-fed spring. There's a great website called FindaSpring where you can find a natural spring in your area. This is a great way to get back to nature and teach your children about health and the sources of clean water.

The best part is that most of these spring water sources are free!
It is important to bring either clear polyethylene or glass containers on your trip to collect the water so no unsafe chemicals can contaminate your pure drinking water on the way home. If you choose to use glass bottles, be sure to wrap them in towels to keep them from breaking in the car. Tomorrow we are going to discuss some rules you need to know about your consumption of water. Stay tuned.

The Many Uses Of Water Part III

So, Bottled Water is the Way to Go, Right?
If you're thinking you're safe from all of the harmful contaminants I listed above because you drink bottled water instead of tap water, I'm afraid I must be the bearer of some bad news:


40 percent of bottled water is bottled TAP WATER!


Yes, you read correctly. 40 percent of bottled water is just bottled tap water, which may or may not have received additional filtration. Remember the arsenic and DPBs you were trying to avoid from tap water? Well, an independent test done by the Environmental Working Group found these and 36 other harmful pollutants hidden in bottled water.

Also, drinking from plastic bottles is not a good idea. Plastic bottles contain a chemical called bisphenol A or BPA, which is a synthetic hormone disruptor that has been linked to serious health problems such as:

    •    Learning and behavioral problems
    •    Altered immune system function
    •    Prostate and breast cancer
    •    Risk of obesity
    •    Early puberty in both genders

Aside from the health risks, the devastating impact bottled water has had on our ecosystem is staggering!

Distilled Water – Use with Caution

Some health conscious people have been misled into believing that distilled water is healthy for them. As I've stated before, this is simply not true. It is true that for 5 years this is the only water my family and I consumed but we were detoxing regularly and taking minerals, vitamins, esential fatty acids etc.

The problem with distilled water is that it is boiled and evaporated away from its dissolved minerals. The water then becomes acidic and seeks to balance itself by drawing minerals right out of your body. It will also draw out contaminants from the container it's stored in for this same reason.
What's worse, any contaminant in the water that vaporizes at a lower temperature than the water, such as volatile organic compounds, like disinfection byproducts that are thousands of times as toxic as chlorine, will be condensed and actually concentrated in the finished distilled water. So what you end up with is water that contains even more dangerous contaminants than what you started with!
I only recommend using distilled water for a short period of time and only for the purpose of detoxification, as this water can help pull toxins from your body. Drinking it long-term, however, will most likely invite health problems.

Alkaline Water
In an interview with water filtration expert, Houston Tomasz, asked for his thoughts on the growing use of alkaline water. There are several potential problems with alkaline water.
First of all, most water ionizers and alkalizers are marketed by multi-level marketing (MLM) companies with questionable ethics.
Some people experience an initial "high" when they start drinking alkaline water. This can easily be attributed to detoxification, and the fact that they are likely just becoming better hydrated.
Detoxification is about the only benefit of alkaline water, and this benefit is limited to very SHORT TERM USE (no more than a week or two). An additional concern is that many individuals have stomach dysfunctions like GERD or ulcers that are largely related to having too little stomach acid. Long-term use of alkaline or ionized water can interfere with your body's natural digestive process by reducing the acid needed to properly break down and absorb food. This could then lead to an upset of your body's good bacteria, which can then open the door to parasitic infection, ulcers and malabsorption.

"Vitamin" Waters – Do NOT Be Fooled!
If you've recently switched from soda to vitamin water because you believed it to be a healthier choice, you may be disappointed by what I have to say about them: Vitamin waters are nothing more than a clever marketing scheme designed to promote a product that is just as unhealthy as soda!
Vitamin waters often contain dangerous high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), artificial colors, additives, preservatives and caffeine. What's even worse is these manufacturers use distilled water to make their products, which, as you've read above, is one of the worst types of water you can put into your body!
Now that you know which types of water to avoid, let's take a look at the water you should be drinking for optimal health which you can see tomorrow.

The Many Uses Of Water Part II

Types of Water – How Your Choice Makes the Difference

When it comes to water, there's more to choose from than simply tap versus bottled. Let's closely examine each so you can make informed decisions about your water and your health.

Tap Water – Danger in Every Glass

Plain old tap water: It's easy. It's convenient and it comes right out of your kitchen faucet. However, as I'm sure you've heard, most tap water is contaminated with a host of pollutants that increase your risk of serious health problems. Let's take a look at some of these contaminants and how they can adversely affect your health and that of your family.
Arsenic
The level of arsenic in US tap water is incredibly high. This poisonous element is a powerful carcinogenic, which has been linked to an increased risk of the development of several types of cancer. In 2001 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the maximum level of arsenic permitted in drinking water from 50 ug/L to 10 ug/L due to the established cancer risk.
The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates as many as 56 million Americans living in 25 states drink water with arsenic at unsafe levels. For more information, see the USGS website, which offers maps showing where and to what extent arsenic occurs in ground water across the United States.
Aluminum
You may have heard how aluminum increases your risk for Alzheimer's disease, but did you also know that the aluminum found in your municipal water supply can cause a wide variety of other health problems?

 Aluminum has been linked to:

• Hyperactvity
• Learning disabilities in children
• Gastrointestinal disease
• Skin problems
• Parkinson's disease
• Liver disease

Fluoride
If you still believe fluoride in your drinking water prevents cavities and helps build strong teeth, you've fallen for a cleverly devised mass-deception. As recent studies done on children in India show, fluoride is anything but a cavity fighter. Fluoride is a well-known toxin that actually leads to an increased risk of cavities and can cause a wide range of health problems, including weakening your immune system and accelerating aging due to cellular damage.
Prescription and OTC Drugs
You may have been told that if you dispose of your unwanted or expired prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs in the trash instead of the toilet that you do not run any risk of it ending up in the water supply. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Water that drains through landfills, known as leach rate, eventually ends up in rivers. Although not all states source drinking water from rivers, many do.
According to studies, human cells do not grow normally when exposed to even minute amounts of prescription or over-the-counter drugs.  Some drugs that were never meant to be combined are mixed together in the drinking water you consume every day. Millions of people have drug allergies. Are you among them? If so, how do you know the strange symptoms you've been experiencing are not due to ingesting small doses of the drugs you're allergic to from your water?
Pregnant women should be especially wary. The toxic substances you take into your body from tap water will have a negative effect on the development of your unborn child.
Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs)
Most tap community water supplies are treated with chlorine and although it may not be the healthiest element you can consume, it is far better for you than what is left behind. In this video, "Tap Water Toxins - is Your Water Trying to Kill You?", Dr. Mercola interviews water filtration pioneer Robert Slovak about the dangers of disinfection by products.
Disinfection byproducts are the result of disinfecting water with chlorine. It is important to note that while consuming chlorine is certainly not healthy, DBPs are TEN THOUSAND TIMES more dangerous!
In addition to being a powerful carcinogenic, DPBs have also been linked to liver, kidney and nervous system problems.

We are not through yet Part III is next on the many uses of water.

The Many Uses Of Water

Wouldn't be great if we could get our water from the depths of the earth's most electrically active and energetic well springs. Some believe that water is not only alive it has a level of consciousness. Interesting statement especially when you find out in the physiology of our brain that 90% of your brain is water. God must have know what he was doing because your body is so intracately woven together that no way is it a coincidence that we are hard wired the way we are. Water is full of living energy and healing information because it gives the body's innate self-healing forces the supplies it needs to regenerate and recharge its batteries. So what are the many symptoms of dehydration?

 Since most of you are no longer tuned in to your bodies the way your ancestors were hundreds of years ago, you may be overlooking your bodies cries for water.

There is a silent and growing epidemic of chronic dehydation. So many suffer from it yet are simply unaware of the symptoms.

Are you one of Them? The major symptoms of dehydration are:

• Thirst
• Dark colored urine
• Fatigue
• Digestive disturbances such as dehydration and constipation
• Urinary tract infections
• Auto-immune disease such as chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis
• Premature aging
• High cholesterol
• Weight gain

Tomorrow we are going to discuss the many types of water out there so keep your hat on for some grrreat information!