healthy and beautiful

We’ve said it before…if you do dairy (and we do), you have to skip the skim. It’s better for your weight, your skin, your bones and your fertility . Recent research adds further evidence to our skim-stance. A study published in Circulation analyzed the blood of 3,333 adults for 15 years. It’s difficult to “skim” over (had to) their findings.  People who consumed more full-fat dairy had a 46% decreased risk of getting diabetes. Another study published in the American Journal of Nutrition looked at obesity risk with full fat versus low fat dairy among 18,438 female participants. Those who consumed the most full-fat dairy products lowered their risk of being overweight or obese by 8%. At Foodtrainers, we believe fat makes you thin. Fat keeps you full. It’s crucial for your skin, hair, nails and Vitamin D absorption. Cutting back on calories by cutting out fat typically results in eating more sugar/carb calories. And when your sugar and carbs increase your body stores more fat (rememb...

There are certain ingredients many of you could identify as unhealthy. Artificial sweeteners, trans fats, BPAs and GMOs are likely on your radar.  However, a study in Nature raised health and weight concerns for a group of ingredients you may not even know about. Do emulsifiers ring a bell? I’ll be totally honest, I had to think back to Food Science classes…mayo is an emulsification. Without nerding out emulsifications are mixtures where one substance is suspended in another. In mayo, the egg emulsify or combine things. But egg yolks are natural emulsifiers, this recent study (and a couple prior) honed in on chemical emulsifiers. These additives are used in many products for texture and to extend shelf life. I talk a lot about probiotics; kombucha, kefir, miso and apple cider vinegar are Foodtrainers’ staples.   Having more good bacteria can improve our mood, immunity and weight. But what if something prevalent in healthy food is harming gut bacteria? Yup, that’s what these c...

Yes, the look decent but read on... Last night, I was on my way home from work tired and hungry. I’ve had a couple travel days and as a result my office days are packed which isn’t a problem until the end of the day. I knew the boys would be getting home from hockey and they’d need dinner and I also had brownies to bake. My friend Shari started a campaign called Bake it Happen where you bake one of her mother’s recipes and in the process raise money for breast cancer research. One of the recipes is Judy’s pumpkin brownies.I had the tired thought “do I have to do this tonight?” and quickly reminded myself of Shari’s work and Judy’s battle. I was going to bake.   I would’ve had an easier time if I stuck to Judy’s recipe but no, I insisted on making a gluten free/paleo version. I expressed to Shari my conflict with unhealthy (Minute Made pink lemonade on my recent Delta flight) in the name of disease research. Shari explained she wasn’t looking at things through the lens of healthy s...

Has the human race has proven to be resilient yet again? Rumors are surfacing that while scientists are struggling to find a cure for swine flu, many are recovering on their own. It is whispered that thousands around the world are being found to recover on their own with just bed rest and isolation. Although they still say that there are those at risk of it being fatal, such as the pregnant and those who have other resistance-weakening diseases.

Did you know that the first ever successful face transplant was of a woman in France who was mauled by her dog? This was not long ago, in 2005. Her name was Isabelle Dinoire and she was 38 years old. She was lucky, but others were not. On June 8th, Laurent Lantieri - the surgeon who performed the transplant operation - reported that his patient had died due to cardiac arrest. The victim? A man from France who was undergoing the world's first ever face AND double hand transplant operation after he was disfigured in an accident. This was in April. He died not even three months after the surgery when being treated for an infection that had set in on his face. Cardiac arrest claimed what could have been a stunning medical victory. So are face-transplants, plastic surgery and transplant operations successful? Although science and medicine have come a long way, many believe that one can only guarantee a 50/50 chance for a positive outcome.

According to those researching in this field, it IS possible. Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated that patients were able to tolerate a fairly high doses of the chemical epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) found in green tea.  Apparently, many were even able to see some regression as far as their chronic lymphocytic leukemia went. Some of the recline went as far as a 50% reduction in the lymph node size! Further testing is now on to add stability and exactness to the program.