Cafe 118 - Winter Park, FL

    If you want a reason to travel to Winter Park, FL, just 30 minutes from Sea World in Orlando, I'll give you one: Cafe 118 in Winter Park on East Morse Boulevard.

    This is the third time I have eaten there and I have relished everything ordered.

    Today, I had raw lasagna. Layers of thinly sliced zucchini alternated with macadamia nut "ricotta" cheese, raw tomato sauce and a slice of a tomato. The portion was just enough to fill me up but not overwhelming. The flavors were so savory and rich and delicious.

    Howard had 4 veggie rolls filled with sliced cabbage, avocado and other veggies, each rolled in a collard leaf. Served with a bowl of sweet and sour sauce, you dip the rolls and munch and crunch. It was really enough for 2 people and the flavors were very satisfying.

    Since we were only going to eat 2 meals today, we had dessert: a slice of cheesecake with blueberry glaze on top and pumpkin spice pie with a cream sauce on the side and a nut crust.

    I know it sounds as if I were eating dairy, but all the ingredients were plant based and there was no dairy. There was also no refined sugar, only agave and other natural sugars. It was fake cheese and fake cream and yet the flavors were so rich, that I thought I was eating real cheese and sugar.

    I will be back because there is so much on the menu I haven't tried. Besides the appetizers, main courses and desserts, there is an extensive selection of smoothies made with not milks.

   With healthy food this tasty, I am less tempted to cheat. Sometimes I am tempted, but I resist. My goal is continued health and I don't think any meal or any food is worth risking my health for.













 

5 Ways to Live Longer

   The book The Longevity Project written by researchers Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin clearly points out that some myths of behavior have been debunked.

The five ways to live longer are:

1. You don't have to always think happy thoughts to reduce stress and lead a long life. Some worry is OK.
2. Gardening and walking are enough exercise to keep you healthy.
3. Being serious is not bad for you.
4. Working may keep you alive. "...those who were most engaged in pursuing their goals" lived the longest.
5. Having fulfilling social relationships, like marriage or healthy singleness, keeps women living longer. The married men in the study lived the longest.

So for the New Year, think a little, worry a little, smile a little, garden and walk a little, be serious when you want to be, work, and cultivate healthy relationships.

Cheers!

What is a Blended Salad?

   A blended salad is a healthy plant based meal that you mix in a high powered blender.

   Why should anyone want to eat it ?
  
   That's easy. It's a fast, delicious way to get lots of greens without feeling like you are in a pasture grazing.

   I just made a lovely blended salad for lunch. Here is what I mixed:

• one large organic collard leaf, cut up
• a stalk of celery, cut up
• about 9 organic grape tomatoes
• several leaves or organic dark green lettuce
• one organic carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup of organic canned garbanzo beans
• about 5-6 tbsp. of Udo's oil (I dump instead of measuring)
• about 3 tbsp. of organic apple cider vinegar
• about 1 tbsp. pf Bragg's amino acids
• 6 pitted Kalamata olives

I blended the ingredients together in my Blend Tech machine using the setting: Whole foods, sauces, dips.

Then I toasted a piece of sesame Ezekiel bread.

Leisurely, I ate my lunch loving the miz of flavors and knowing how good for me this salad was.

Try it, at least once, before you tell me I'm nuts:)

Happy New Year!

A Prophet!

This morning my husband said to me, "You are like a prophet that no one listens to."
He was referring to the way that I eat. I have stuck to my plant based eating program for almost 2 years and flirted with it for 10 years and I am not sorry.

I am glad that I have no health issues. I just took my morning power walk to Whole Foods and back in the rain. That's hard core. I even impressed myself.

But so many have health issues that would go away if they changed what they ate. I know people with Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia, heart disease, kidney failure, arthritis, mysterious auto immune diseases,  cancer, joint replacements that don't remove joint inflammations, acne, diabetes and obesity. My heart aches for them knowing that if they would only consider changing their eating program, their conditions would improve, if not disappear outright.

What's a caring person to do? I can't yank their food out from under their noses. I don't bring the subject up at the dinner table. I don't shove books in their faces and I don't send them articles and jam their emails.

What do I do? I eat my food in front of them and enjoy it. I serve them food that is delicious and good for them when they are my guests at home. I pray for them a lot. And...I blog about it.

If you know anyone who has a health issue, please start to pray that they consider another way of eating and living. Pray hard. Pray a lot. Eat healthy food in restaurants and at home where they can see you. Exercise and enjoy your health. Enjoy it for all to see. You may be the only nutrition book they ever read.

If you dare, send them my way. And send them to: www.hacres.com

Life and health are only a click away.

Reverse the Aging Process

Someone told me on Thanksgiving Day that she told her daughter that, "Jill has reversed the aging process."

Why would she say that?

Here's what I think.

• My 66 year old skin has very few wrinkles, helped immeasurably with the creams I buy from Sandra Cope International. They are scientifically called #'s 1, 2, 3, and 4.
• I have more energy, stamina, mental clarity and joie de vivre than I've ever had in my life
• I plan to work for at least 20-25 more years
• I have no ailments and take no pills. I haven't seen a doctor in almost 2 years
• My immune system is strong. Exposed to strep throat, colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, and other nasty  bugs, I have not gotten sick in 2 years.

So that's what I think. What about you? Is aging kind to you or are there things you would like to reverse. As me questions and I will give you answers.

No Weight Gain on Thanksgiving - Whoa!

It's true, I didn't gain weight on Thanksgiving although I figure that if someone ate all that was offered, the meal would have been at least 3000 calories.

Why would a vegan cook and serve that kind of food to others? That is a story for a different blog that may never be written.

Suffice it to say that I ate:

• cranberry salad - made with oranges, unsweetened coconut, fresh cranberries, walnuts and raw honey (all organic)
• distilled water that had be re-mineralized
• salad with organic greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, orange peppers and a dressing of veganaise, nutritional yeast and organic honey
• steamed parsnips and carrots with olive oil and fresh herbs
• a bowl of leftover veggie chili
• coconut milk frozen dessert (aka fake ice cream) scooped with a melon baller in served in a Waterford crystal dessert dish

That's it.

I did not have the organic, herb roasted turkey, gravy, giblets, challah/veggie stuffing, cranberry relish made with port wine and sugar, green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup and fried onion rings, sweet potato fluff, mashed white potatoes with milk and butter, crescent rolls, pumpkin pie and apple pie.

No, I was not on drugs, I sat at the table and conversed with others.

Miraculously I had a fresh infusion of love for me and my guests and I did not focus on what I didn't eat. I just focused on others and what I was eating, and I made it through victoriously.

Thank you God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit!

Check Here Later

Two headlines that I will write about later:

• I may be the only person in American who lost weight on Thanksgiving:) 
• Overheard at the meal, "Jill has reversed the aging process

I'm off on Black Friday to watch my daughter shop. I'll expand on the headlines when I return.

"The Leading Causes of Death are Consensual"

That's a shocking title if I ever heard one. This is not original to me. I am quoting a report from Vital Smarts and "How to 10xYour Influence".

What does it mean, that we cause or hasten our own deaths?

I don't think it is referring to reckless driving, drug abuse, sexual misbehaviors and other addictions.

Unless you call over-eating and mindless eating an addiction.

I think the article is talking about how eating animal protein, unhealthy fats, sugar, dairy and artifically, and genetically modified foods cause cancer, MS, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinsons disease and the hundreds of autoimmune deficiency diseases that I can't spell, let alone pronouce.

Think about it. What you eat can make you sick and die or can heal you and help you live.

Picasso, the famous artist said, "Youth has no age." I have written before that I want to die at a very old age, in good health, still young. For me youth has no age and I want to become younger and younger until I have the innocence, purity and joy of a little child.

How about you? Would you rather take pills and have medical treatments and live for the days you have to see your doctors or eat in a healthy way?

I know people whose lives are simply appointment after appointment, treatment after treatment, pill after pill. They have to monitor their blood sugar, their blood pressure, their weight and many other vital signs daily.

What do I monitor daily? I monitor what the Lord is telling me. I monitor my body's energy levels. When I am feeling frisky, I work out more or walk with my husband or take a bike ride or just jump up and down and sing. I monitor my thoughts and my spending and try to exercise self-discipline. I monitor my pryaer life and try to be faithful to what I have pledged to pray for. I monitor my Bible reading and keep reading until I hear the Lord speaking His truth into my soul.

I don't want to live a life that "consensually" causes my death.

What about you?

Checklist for Healthy Eating

Here are some of the diet tricks you already know to gain health and loose weight that are wrapped up in The Garden Diet….
- Calorie Restriction
- Low fat
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Avoid white sugar
- Avoid flour
- Avoid MSG
- Avoid processed foods
- Avoid fried foods
- Avoid packaged foods
- Eat plant-based foods
- Eat water-rich foods
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
- Eat nutrient-dense foods
- Slow / Low-heat
- Eat Fresh
- Eat Organic
- Eat Local
- Avoid meat
- Avoid dairy
- Do not microwave
- Drink lots of water
- Don't eat until full

I have copied this from another blog: http://thegardendiet.com/

Check out their blog and pray about it. Not only could you change your shape, but you could change your health and your energy level and your outlook on life.

Too hard? Pick 4 things you can do to begin the transition. Master 4 things a week until before you know it, you are eating for health!

Let me know how it goes.

Sugar is Sugar!

For the last three days I have been feeling sluggish. Now I know why. Sugar!

It was my birthday last Friday and a friend made me a raw apple pie with only fruit and nuts and no white sugar. Naturally, it was delicious and I have eaten almost all of it.

Where is the last piece? In the trash.

On the treadmill this morning I really understood why there should only be a little bit of fruit in our eating program and way more vegetables. The natural sugars in fruit spike the blood and then leave us feeling sluggish. I even have an after taste that has lingered this morning of the sugars in the apples, raisins and agave that were in the raw apple pie.

Fortunately, I discovered the medicinal value of drinking rosemary tea. Yesterday I wrote about the health benefits of drinking tea flavored with fresh rosemary leaves. Then I drank a few cups yesterday and experienced some of the immediate benefits. It acts as a laxative, helping to detox the body from whatever is living in your colon and bowel that doesn't belong there.

So I expect that a few more days of the tea drinking regime should restore my vitality and help me take off the 3 pounds that the raw apple pie gifted me for my birthday.

I don't have a sweet tooth. Occasionally, I like a sweet taste, but not a sugary sweet, sickeningly syrupy flavor. So I will treat myself with other things instead of lots of fruit.

Lesson Learned: Sugar is sugar, even the good sugars. Eat sparingly. 

Anyone Can Do It

In the current issue of "Healthy Living" from Hallelujah Acres, there is an article about a young woman soldier who is a vegan on duty in Afghanistan. Yikes!

She can do this with the help of buying and eating Hallelujah Acres Living Food bars and Survival Bars. In addition, she eats every vegetable that is available and she also take supplements.

Did you know that if you can't juice, there is powdered Carrot Max, Beet Max and Carrot Max is also available in capsules to swallow?

I guess the main thing is that you have to want to eat in a healthy manner.

Some do and some don't.

The example of Rev. Malkmous loving his grandson who died of cancer recently is dramatic. He loved him even though the teen didn't want to try the plant based approach to starving cancer cells and living instead of dying.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I want to die very healthy, at an old age, feeling young. Not for the ego of it, although it does make me feel good to be filled with energy and healthy. Just to be able to give all that I have to help others for as long as I can.

Lunch today was a salad squeezed onto some healthy bread. I made peppermint tea and had a piece of raw apple pie for dessert. Since it was my birthday this weekend, I paid someone to make me this dessert and I have been eating it for 2 days. Maybe I'll finish it tomorrow.

If you want to be healthy, you can transition into a plant based diet. Just ask me how.

Eat Healthy in a Restaurant

I'm at an Embassy Suites Hotel and I wanted dinner. Here's how I ordered.

I ordered the Ahi tuna on wild field greens with corn, red peppers and beans. Then I asked the waiter to replace the tuna with the grilled asparagus and sliced avocado from another menu item.

No problem.

This salad was so delicious and so huge, that I couldn't even finish it.

Easy peasy. Try it. 

Sugar is a Drug

I Love My Toxins

No joke! I heard that this morning while I was walking on the treadmill. The person who bragged about this said, "Give me my ice cream any day over _(fill in this blank with any bad food_____!"

That's why there is so much preventable sickness in the world.

I can't make people stop eating what hurts them. Conviction that a person must replace one food with another has to come from that person.

Since childhood, I have always been squeamish about putting things into my body that could hurt it or doing things that were bad for me. That protected me from being a smoker, from taking drugs, from becoming an alcoholic and from staying out all night.In fact, I have only pulled one all nighter in my life. That was in college and it took me days to recover. I'll never do that again, if I can help it.  

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead!

I am quoting verbatim from a great blog: http://thegardendiet.com


It's hard to recommend this to someone because they may think you are calling them fat. So I print this here and you can recommend at your own risk.

"Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" which is available on Netflix documents the journey of an overweight Australian stock-broker who is diagnosed with a rare disease and decides to go on a juice fast while doing a road trip across the United States and filming the whole thing. He speaks with lots of everyday people about what he is doing and gets all kinds of hilarious reactions. He meets a trucker who has the same condition as him and they both end up cured by green juice and getting a whole bunch of other folks in a small heartland town in to green juicing for their weight and health. This is a well-made, entertaining, totally inspiring and heart-felt film that will make you want to go on a green juice fast right away!"

There Go Our Excuses

It is easier than ever to find vegan restaurants, fast food offerings, organic food in the grocery store and other people who also want to eat in a healthy manner.

So what's the problem? The problem is that we have not mastered our minds and our self-control and our desire to eat in a disciplined way.

We can no longer blame others.

In my small community in a depressed area of Florida, there are 3 dedicated health food stores, one that has an in-store cafe, a farmer's market 2 days a week 52 weeks a year, an organic food coop, and grocery stores that have lots of organic produce and canned goods. Target has the largest selection of organic food and Wal-Mart sells organic greens and other vegetables.

What is preventing you from eating in a more healthy way?

Your family, your friends, or perhaps your self-talk?

If it's your family, have lots of food that is healthy and smaller portions of what they think they need.

If it's your friends, don't eat with them.

If it's your self-talk, banish the heckler that sits on your shoulder. Reframe your thoughts.

Think, "I deserve to be healthy. I deserve to live disease free. I deserve to age gracefully and not be a slave to doctors and medicine. I deserve to get up early and exercise or not go to bed until I've had a chance to exercise."

Act:

• Make a food plan and stick to it.
• Make a shopping list and don't deviate from it.
• Start your day with an insurance policy. Eat a good breakfast. Plan for healthy snacks for your day. 
• Write your plan down so you can hold yourself accountable.
• Find a friend who will also hold you accountable.
• Pray about this and tell God that you will follow His advice to take care of your body because it is His Holy Temple.
• Wait to hear his approval.

Evaluate:

• At the end of each day, be honest and evaluate how you have done
• At the end of each day, make your plan for the next day.
• Don't give up.

How Often Do You Get Sick?

Here's a hot topic: how often do you get sick? If it's two, three even four times a year, with colds, flu and a cough or ear infection, there is a good chance that your immune system is compromised and it needs a boost.

To boost your immune system, eliminate all sugar, white flour, caffeine, and alcohol from your diet. Then replace it with all natural foods, like maple syrup, dates, stevia, or agave. Replace the white flour with whole grains. Drink herbal beverages like mint tea or teecino. Trade alcohol for fresh juices you can make in your kitchen.

The second phase of the immune booster program is to replace animal protein with plant sourced protein, including sprouts you can grow yourself, beans and amino acids from a product called Barley Max.

Since I have adopted this program, I have resisted strep from my grandchildren, colds, and even a yeast infection. When I thought one was imminent, I added raw cranberries to my smoothie and to my coconut milk ice cream. Gone!

Fast healthy Food From a Can

If I must, and sometimes I really must, I can make a healthy meal from a can.

Open a can of organic beans. If organic are not available, stick with the default conventional type. Partially drain the beans and add some extra virgin olive oil, chopped fresh onion, maybe some minced garlic and a dash of sea salt.

If I have any other vegetables on hand, I might add chopped tomato, bell pepper, and/or carrots and celery.

Now here is the amazing thing. Stir and eat. I think it's delicious without heating. I could warm it on a plate in my dehydrator. But I really like it this way, simple.

You see, since everyone's taste buds change every 2 weeks, once you get used to eating healthy, good food tastes good, just the way it is. No fuss, no fancy prep. 

Don't Eat That

I like to focus on the positive so today's title is peculiar for me. But last week there was an article online about 5 groups of food to avoid and today it's about sugar. So, in case you missed them, here goes.

Please avoid: crackers, muffins, cookies, cakes, sodas, sugar, alcohol, beef, pork, chicken, eggs, milk, cheese, cream, ice cream, salt, coffee and black tea. They contribute to strokes and cancer.

As for the sugar, it not only raises the possibility of diabetes, cancer and arteriosclerosis, but it is highly addictive. 

Instead, make or find a place to buy healthy crackers and muffins, give up eggs, replace dairy with almond milk or rice milk and cashew, rice or coconut ice creams. Use sea salt, teechino instead of coffee, and herbs over which you have poured hot water for tea.

As for sugar, replace it with stevia. I carry stevia packets wherever I go and if I forget, I do without. Self-inflicted self-control, logical consequences of not planning ahead. Most of the time I remember.

You can also use real maple syrup, Grade B not A, agave syrup and raw, unprocessed honey.

For the "good to eat" list, copy this and save it.

Beverages: freshly extracted vegetable juices, Barley Max, CarrotJuice Max, BeetMax and remineralized distilled water - caffeine free herbal teas and cereal-based coffee-like beverages, bottled organic juices.

Dairy Alternatives:  fresh almond milk, creamy banana milk, frozen banana, strawberry or blueberry fruit creams -non-dairy cheese, almond milk, hemp milk and rice milk, used sparingly

Beans:  green beans, peas, sprouted garbanzos, sprouted lentils, mung beans and other legumes (not peanuts - they are hard to digest and are prone to mold) -Lima, adzuki, black, kidney, navy, pinto, red and white

Fruit: all fresh, as well as unsulphured organic dried fruit -  cooked and unsweetened frozen fruits (limit fruit to no more than 15% of your diet to r educe natural sugar intake)

Grains: soaked oats, raw muesli, dehydrated granola, dehydrated crackers - whole-grain cereals, breads, pasta, brown rice, millet, etc. I use quinoa as a grain because it is high in protein

Meat substitutes:  sprouted beans, chia seed, and hemp seeds are all protein-rich plant foods -  cooked beans, mushrooms, vegetables, grains, etc. can satisfy the "full" feeling you are used to from meat, which rots in your stomach and can cause cancer

Nuts and seeds: sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, raw almond butter, tahini - some nuts (such as cashews and almonds) are required to be pasteurized for retail sale but are suitable if not roasted or salted)

Oils: vegan mayonnaise made from cold-pressed oils, Udo's oil, extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil, flaxseed oil, avocados

Seasonings: fresh or dehydrated herbs, garlic, sweet onions, parsley and salt-free seasonings, sea salt used sparingly

Soups: raw, chilled soups made by blending raw vegetables and/or fruits in a blender and those soups made from scratch without salt, fat or dairy

Sweets: fruit smoothies, raw fruit pies with nut/date crusts, date-nut squares

Vegetables: all raw vegetables, steamed or wok-cooked fresh or frozen vegetables, baked white, yellow or sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, etc.

Ask me questions and I will answer them in future posts.

Die At An Old Age, YOUNG!

This morning, my Bible reading says, "...he who dies at a hundred will be thought young..." Isaiah 65:20 (This is from The Complete Jewish Bible translated by David H. Stern.)

That's where I get it from. I say, in my classes, that I want to die at a very old age, healthy and young.

People laugh and say, "How in the world are you going to pull that off?" I answer, "Follow me. Read my blog and try my tips and you will be amazed at how young you will be at any age.

A plant based diet slows down the aging process because you are eating food that nourishes and feeds your body and helps new cells grow. You have discarded the foods that kill the body and cause cells to break down and malfunction. It's really that simple.

So what did you eat today? I had a heaping teaspoon of Barley Max mint in distilled water with some supplements: Vitamins D, B 6 and 12, E, Omega fatty acids 3 and 6, a digestive enzyme, a probiotic, and some biotin. Then I had half an organic cantelope. I almost forgot how delicious they can be. The melons in buffet breakfast bars are so bland.

Then my husband and I went for a 2 mile walk along the beach which was invigorating. We stopped at the Farmer's Market for some fresh mung bean sprouts, baby bok choy, green onions, a pomegranate, and a pinapple and then came home, finished by 8:30 AM.

As I sat typing this blog, I had some fresh mint tea (from my garden) with an orange cranberry living food bar from Hallelujah Acres.

Just take it one meal at a time and you will get closer to dying old, young and healthy!

If you have specific questions, send them to me and I'll be glad to respond.

What to Buy and Have On Hand for Fast Heathy Meals

First, I've been working a lot, so I apologize for abandoning my followers. I'll try to do better.

Second, I am often asked, "How can I do this plant based eating program without spending all my time doing it?

I'll tell you.

Figure out what you current time budget is related to food. How much time do you spend at the grocery store, including travel to and from. Add to that the time you spend going to and from restaurants and you now have a baseline of how much time you are willing to spend feeding yourself.

Then, plan the basics. What do you need to have on hand to make it through the week?
I always have:

• canned organic beans: pinto beans, black beans, great northern beans, butter beans
• canned organic tomato paste, sauce, and   puree
• organic brown rice, basmati or other kind
• onions
• garlic
• bell peppers: red, yellow, orange and green  
• celery
• greens: lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, collard, the greener the better
• organic tomatoes - I like Roma, the most flavorful
• small packages of guacamole ( no dairy added) - I freeze them and use as needed
• bananas which I freeze peeled and use for smoothies
• frozen wild blueberries
• frozen strawberries
• frozen blackberries
• Barley Max (R) which I buy from Hallelujah Acres (HA) (If you buy it, use my health minister #FTP) - I like mint and my husband likes the berry flavor
• Survival bars and living food bars, also from HA
• fresh beets
• Ezekiel bread
• other whole grain, multi-grain bread

With these basics, I can make 3 meals a day, eat around 85% raw and 15% cooked food.

More to follow.

Harvest Stew

Oh, my gosh! This is delicious.

Take an organic pumpkin, small, maybe 8 or 9 " in diameter, tops. cut off the top 1/5th and scoop out the seeds. (f you want, soak them for later use.) Then bake it in a 400 degree oven for about an hour or until soft but not caved in.

Cook 1 cup of organic brown rice adding some olive oil, diced celery, carrots and parsnips. Makes more than 2 cups cooked.

 Cook 2 cans or 3 or 4 cups organic black beans. Add 6 diced garlic cloves and 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Cook for about 45 minutes or longer. Doesn't matter.

To serve, put some rice inside the pumpkin. Then spoon the bean over it. Garnish with fresh chopped parley. Cut wedges of this stew, so you have pumpkin and filling and eat. Don't blame me if you can't stop!

This makes a great family Sunday meal or a company Saturday night meal. Call first if you plan to come over!

Lunch To Live For

Yesterday a close friend made us lunch and it was suggested that my ooh's and aah's rivaled Meg Ryan's in "When Harry Met Sally". Remember the lunch scene?

Here's what she made:

• grilled home grown vegetables, pre-tossed in olive oil - eggplant, squash, zucchini, brussel sprouts, sweet red peppers, portabello slices
• a bed of small pieces of romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers

We put the grilled veggies on the lettuce and then drizzled salad dressing over the top.
 I made my own dressing with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice (with my bare hands:) and some dijon mustard. I whipped the ingredients with a fork until the consistency was thick and creamy. I fell in love with this dressing years ago when I roomed with a friend who learned to cook in Paris. (Thank you Marge, for all you taught me.)

This meal was so delicious and I had several helpings until I was stuffed.  What a gift for a friend to give a friend, a meal that nourished our bodies, senses and our hearts!

Laugh at your own Risk

If you think I have no sense of humor, think again.  Actually, I have a friend with a great sense of humor and so I'm riding on her coattails.

I'm serious about eating healthy, but I like to laugh, so I had to print this for your laughing pleasure.

---

Dr. Chen is with the University of LaSalle Hospital in Philadelphia and has visited the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, the London Clinic, and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. His years of common sense health care experience has resulted in his writing three cook books. Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life.  Is this true?  A: Your heart only good for so many beats, and that it... Don't waste on exercise.  Everything wear out eventually.  Speeding up heart not make you live longer; it like saying you extend life of car by driving faster.  Want to live longer?  Take nap.   Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?  A:  No, not at all.  Wine made from fruit.  Brandy is distilled wine, that mean they take water out of fruity bit so you get even more of goodness that way.  Beer also made of grain.  Bottom up! Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?  A: Well, if you have body and you have fat, your ratio one to one.  If you have two bodies, your ratio two to one, etc. Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?  A: Can't think of single one, sorry.  My philosophy is: No pain...good!          Q:  Aren't fried foods bad for you?  A:  YOU NOT LISTENING!  Food are fried these day in vegetable oil.  In fact, they permeated by it.  How could getting more vegetable be bad for you?!?   Q:  Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?  A: Definitely not!  When you exercise muscle, it get bigger.  You should only be doing sit-up if you want bigger stomach.   Q:  Is chocolate bad for me?   A:  Are you crazy?!?  HEL-LO-O!!  Cocoa bean!  Another vegetable!  It best feel-good food around! Q:  Is swimming good for your figure?   A:  If swimming good for your figure, explain whale to me.. Q:  Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?   A:  Hey!  'Round' is shape!    Well... I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. And  remember:   For  those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health.  It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.    1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.. 5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

 

I Don't Know Where to Start

If you are thinking you might want to become more healthy and you are overwhelmed, answer this one question. If you were to change one thing in your eating program for better health, what would that be?

I'm sure many might say:

1. soda
2. candy bars
3. beer
4. french fries

Okay, that's a good start.

But you are going to miss what you used to love. So what w ill you replace it with?

How about replacing soda with homemade lemonade? Blend real lemon juice with watermelon or a peach or some cherries? Don't add sugar.

How about replacing a candy bar with a "living bar"  or "survival bar" from www.hacres.comwww.hacres.com? Remember I'm your health minister, so if you order, please use my PIN # FTP.


Beer is a little harder. How about replacing a beer with some "Margarita Cucumbers." Then drink some homemade lemonade, as described above, with it. Slice some organic cucumbers, sprinkle with lime juice, and then sea salt. Munch, crunch and enjoy!

For french fries, take a vegetable called jicama, slice like a potato and season with your favorite potato seasonings. Try mine: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and some organic olive oil spray. Munch and crunch.

So this replacement thing is the way to avoid being overwhelmed with a new way of eating, one bite at a time, one sip at a time. 

How Stupid Do They Think We Are?

I can't believe it. I'm on the treadmill this morning at 6:00 AM and see two commercials that gave me enough angst to walk fast and long even though I'm tired!

The first was a commercial for Aleve. The actor's choice was: Aleve or Tylenol. Take more Tylenol or less Aleve for the same benefit, relief from arthritis pain. Duh! Just remove animal protein and sugar from your diet and you will get the same result without the loss of kidney function. That's right. Over time prolonged use of a pain reliever will cause your kidneys to fail.

You get to choose: reduced kidney functioning and potential failure or eat a new way.

For me the choice is easy. I enjoy the new way that I eat. Please read all the posts in this blog; they are short and informative. And check out www.hacres.com for more information.

The second commercial was for gout relief. Here is a double "Duh!" Gout is caused by too much ureic acid in the blood. How does it get there? Animal protein.

How stupid do they think we are? Apparently, pharmaceutical companies think we are very stupid because they sell a lot of these over the counter medications. I'm not buying. How about you?

Arthritis Be Gone

Almost everyone I know over 50 has aches and pains usually considered normal and expected at that age. Poppycock! I disagree.

My mother has arthritis and boy did she love her steak and veal chops and chicken. So did I. And so I thought that I would have arthritis just like mom. Was this a genetic flaw in my family? In my case, it was an eating flaw in my family, not genetics.

How else can you explain that after hurting for years, I even saw X-rays of my neck with disintegrating vertebra at the base of my neck, the pain is gone and I am pain free.

No animal protein. That's the answer and I'm sticking by it. I eat no animal protein and have added Barley Max to my diet and carrot juice everyday and I bounce on the elliptical and walk fast on the treadmill and bicycle along paths made for young people.

Your arthritis can be gone if you would try this way of eating. Pain or no pain. You can choose. 

I Don't Wanna!

Some days, you just don't want to exercise. There it is. The ugly secret. 

What should you do? Exercise anyway! What's wanting to do it got to do with it?

That's where we fall down. We let our feelings override what we know we should do. That is the hallmark of discipline, "Doing what we know we should do even when we don't want to do it."

Where is it written that we should exercise? Not only is it written in medical journals, the benefit of exercise on your health, it is written in your body. We all have the desire to move around sometime during the day. That is our body's way of telling us that it needs more oxygen to feed our muscles and our blood. Breathing deeply helps but it needs to be practised over a period od at least 20 minutes for the effect to get deep into the cells of your body.

"I don't wanna" sounds like a four year old complaining when his or her mom says, "Please help me clean up, or please eat your dinner, or it's bedtime." Letting the inner rebellious child in us win this tantrum is bad health,  erodes any chance you have for self-discipline and reinforces bad habits.

I exercised this morning, I didn't want to do it, but I did it. I'll feel better later when I remember that "It's in the bank." But that was another post. Hope you read it too. 

Bulk, I Need Bulk to Feel Full

Sometimes you just want a hunk of food with bulk to feel full. If you are on a plant based diet, this is hard to come by. Until now.

I think I have the answer: beans. Hear me out on this.

Take a can of organic beans, say northern beans. Drain them and then mash them until they look like masked potatoes. Then season them as you would a hunk of chicken or beef or veal or fish. For example, for the roast chicken flavor, season with garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and paprika. Roll in some whole grain crumbs, or crumbs of ground nuts, and bake for about 10-15 minutes, until it looks cooked.

Prepare the vegetables you normally would eat with roast chicken, like roasted carrots, parsnips, or potatoes, add something green and you have created a plant based meal that is bulky and tasty.

For a veal taste, roll the masked bean mixture in some whole grain crumbs or ground nuts and season with lemon juice and capers. Bake the same way and add steamed broccoli or asparagus.

Experiment and share your ideas with me. Being a vegan is easier and tastier than you expected, isn't it?

I Love My Meat!

I love everything I don't eat. Didn't I tell you that early on?

This is not about loving or hating animal products, anything like beef, chicken, pork, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, ice cream and, by the way, alcohol (wine and hard liquor.)

I love everything I don't eat. I just don't eat it.

Think about it this way.

• First, your taste buds change every two weeks. If you tried a plant based diet for 2 weeks, the tastes you gave up might not tantalize you.
• Second, if you had to choose between cancer and leafy greens, which would you choose? When I put it that way, the choice is not so hard. How about choosing between wine and a longer life? How about steak or no cancer anywhere in the digestive system?
• Third, if you knew you would live to 90, would you want to live it with energy and health or with little energy, dragging through each day and taking lots of pills?
• Fourth, if you could live to 90 without any kidney damage would you do it if it meant you had to give up pain pills and eat lots of raw foods everyday. Would you do it? Could you do it?

That's why I am blogging, to help you make up your mind. It's your health. You can choose to be healthy or to be sick. Which do you want?

If you have any questions, just send them my way. I'd love to be part of the solution. And sing you Happy Birthday when you reach a healthy 90!

It's In The Bank!

Up at 5:30 AM, check emails, dress for the gym and on the treadmill by 6:05 AM. I chugged along as fast as my legs would go, encouraged by a friend who was also workin' it on the elliptical and bicycle.

Now I will make my morning smoothie, frozen banana, frozen wild blueberries, almond milk, Barley Max, pineapple/coconut juice and some powdered B12 vitamins. I'll mix it in my Blend Tech high powered blender that doesn't complain despite the bulk of the ingredients. I'll share with my husband who got up to read the papers and keep me company before I go to work.

It feels good. It's in the bank: exercise and nutrition all before 7:30 AM> It's worth it. 

What Numbers Control You?

Returning to the treadmill exercise that I sweat over in Florida, I learned a big lesson. The numbers that tell me how fast I am going and how many calories I am burning have had the power to restrict and control me, far more than I realized.

In Virginia, without a treadmill, I go outside and just walk as fast as my legs will go, up and down hills, to and from destinations like Whole foods, or the duck pond or the pine tree lined paths. In Florida, I let the speed of 3.5 or 4.0 control me. If I go 4.0, for example, I say to myself that that is fast enough. I make up a rule and then I stick to it. Yikes!

This morning I just decided to go as fast as I go in Virginia without looking and I discovered I was chugging along at 4.2. I never go that fast, I mistakenly think, because that's too fast!

So instead of going at a speed of 3.8 I sped at 4.2 and burned 150 calories in 20 minutes, breaking out into a healthy sweat. ( I don't like to sweat but I do on my walks in Virginia!)

So I got to thinking, what other numbers control me and control you? Is it what the scale says vs. what you want it to say? You think you can't get to a certain number so you hold yourself back admitting defeat before you give yourself a chance to beat your own expectations of abilities.

What about your bank account? You don't save a dollar a day because you are thinking that $365 dollars saved in a year is not enough so why bother? What if you started saving $1 a day and then upped it to 2? You might want to do that once you got started? Or can't you handle saving $730 that easily?

What about bedtime? You can't go to bed early because the clock doesn't say it's bedtime. If you feel tired at 8  PM, go to bed. Forget about what the numbers are. You might need rest then. What about waking up at 3 AM? You can't get up and write, or pray or read or prepare a meal, or clean up or do laundry because that's not what people do at 3 AM!

Poppycock, balderdash, yikes and phooey! Get rid of the numbers in your life and reinvent new numbers. Discover them along the way. Let me know what happens when you do.

Improve Your Eating For Whom?

Maybe one reason you can't get on board with changing your eating is because you have made peace with how you look and how you feel. You are OK with belly fat, aches and pains and declining energy. 

Well, I just had a revelation today. It's not about you. It's about those whose lives you impact.

• A spouse who needs you at peak energy and full functioning
• Children who need the example of healthy eating to grow up in the best way
• Grandchildren who also need the role model
• Friends who are stuck in ruts and need an example to inspire them
• All the other people whose lives you impact: neighbors, other family members, co-workers, and anyone who ever sees you and interacts with you

You may respond, "I'm not that important."

Yes, you are. You may be the only book on healthy eating that other people read. You may be the only chance someone will have to rescue themselves from disease, discomfort and misery. You are that important. Yes you are!

It's not about you or me, but about those whose lives we impact, whether we know it or not. Think about it and pray about it and see if that resonates with you.

Save Money on Barley Max

I love my morning smoothie made with Barley Max, frozen bananas, frozen wild blueberries, organic pineapple/coconut juice and almond milk.

I used to use Barley Max Mint which tastes wonderful.  Then I got Barley Max plain by mistake and decided to add mint from my mint patch to add flavor. It works.

All I do is pick a handful of mint leaves, remove from the stems and add to my Blend Tech blender to make the smoothie. Minty and worth savoring every sip.

Little money adds up to big money and the few dollars I will save add up.

Are You Always Hungry?

If you are hungry all the time, let me hazard a guess as to why. Most of the time it's because the food you are eating is not nourishing or feeding your body.

How could that happen?

When food is heated more than 105 degrees, the enzymes and vital nutrients that feed your body break down, deteriorate and all you are eating is a hunk of fiber. When the food you eat is 105 degrees or less, the nutrients are "living" and feed you.

It's not just living food that is important. It's also living supplements.

When I drink some Barley Max in water 2 - 3 times a day and also drink some fresh vegetable juice, I feel full. If I forget, I get hungry.

How about you?

If you have never had Barley Max, read about it at http://www.hacres.com/  Then order some. I like the mint flavored variety. Give yourself one month to notice the difference. The amino acids in the Barley Max feed your body the protein substances you need. You will be full and you will naturally lose weight.

If you decide to order some, remember that I am your Health Minister, Pin # FTP.

Cheap Protein and Calcium

I mean cheap!

If you want to eat good quality protein and calcium, sprout some mung beans. Let me tell you how.

I don't have a kit; I don't have a sprouter. I have a bowl, a napkin, a rubber band and some mung beans. Buy them at a health food store, or anyplace that sells seeds.

They are green and small and when sprouted yield a good quality food.

I take a soup bowl about 12" in diameter. I put about 3 tablespoons of mung beans in the bottom. Then I fill with about 2 inches of water. I put the napkin over the top and anchor it with a rubber band. Then I put it in a cold oven, off.

Caution: Be careful if you use the oven and forget the beans are in there. You will ruin them.

After a day or even 18 hours, I take off the napkin and look at the beans. If they are starting to grow and some white appears, you have a choice. You can rinse them using a strainer, to get the old water off. Then you can put them back in the bowl and cover with water for a day more or less.

Or if they grew real fast, you can rinse and eat them.

That's it.

I put them in my salad and salad dressing. I eat them by themselve and season them with any dressing I like.

That's it.

Cheap protein and calcium. They are good for you and I like the crunchy texture.

Saturday Lunch

I love my lunch.

First I took fresh watercress and cut the biggest part of the stems offs. Then I toasted a slice of Ezekiel bread. I them assembled and later devoured, my version of an English cress and cucumber sandwich.

Yesterday I spread garlic hummus on the bread. Today I used leftover Alfredo sauce from zucchini noodles (see an older post). It is made of Vegenaise and nutritional yeast.

I added some fresh pomegranate seeds to the hummus.

Then I folded the bread in half and chomped in ecstasy. So delicious!

Today I made a salad to follow up. First I put some organic field greens on the plate, then some cucumber, some tomato, some home sprouted mung bean sprouts, some grated fresh beets and a little sliced red onion. I drizzled this with some more of the Alfredo dressing. I used some of "Mary's Gone Crackers" to help push the food on my fork and then to crunch on with the salad.

After my salad, I ate a few Brazil nuts, a few walnuts (Yes, they could have been on the salad), and some carob spirolina for desert.

I love my lunch!

It's Too Hard

If you think eating healthy is too hard, try going through chemo or radiation or surgery!

Please don't be overwhelmed. Try one thing at a time. For example:

• Today for lunch, start with something raw, a fruit or a vegetable. Eat as much as you can and chew it well. If you are still hungry, then add something else. The raw beginning is the beginning of your savings account for good health.
• What one thing should you start replacing in your diet? Pick it and see if you can replace the unhealthy choice with the healthy choice, one bite or one sip at a time. At the end of the week, you will be impressed with yourself.
• What one food should you banish from your home? Be brave. Pick it up, bring it to a neighbor but why should you give them something that is not good for you. Put it in the trash and you will be so upset about wasting money, that you will never buy that again.
• What one food habit should you reverse: coffee instead of getting more sleep; coffee instead of walking to wake up; coffee instead of an apple? Challenge yourself and get someone else to do it with you.

When you have mastered this list, start at the first bulleted point and add a second thing. You can do this!

Easy Stew

It's late; I took a nap after work, and now it's dinner time. Here's what I concocted!

I took a frozen hunk of rice pilaf which I had made a few months ago. Literally, I hacked at it with a big knife until half broke off. I began to heat it in some olive oil.

I added a drained can of navy beans, diced garlic, chopped onion and green pepper and about 1/4 cup of tomato paste. Then I added a half cup of water and steamed it for about 8 minutes.

For seasonings, I added sea salt, kelp, marjoram and oregano.

Twenty minutes later, it was gone. We gobbled it up and enjoyed every spoonful.

For dessert we each had a half cup of vanilla coconut yogurt. I added slices of a white peach to mine and my husband added some fresh raspberries to his.

That was dinner and I feel very full and satisfied.

Cravings

What should you do when you crave a food or spice or anything eatable that is not on your eating program?

Do some sleuthing? What are you missing that makes you crave something else?

I know a few answers but you will have to sleuth the rest:

• If you crave sugar, you are missing some vitamins
• If you crave salt, you need good salt like that in sea salt, kelp or other sea vegetables

Belly Fat

Walking in malls, grocery stores, parking lots and everywhere my eyes see belly fat on others that used to be on me. I used to make excuses and say, “Well, belly fat is here to stay. Like it or leave it but it’s mine. Everyone else is wearing theirs and I know how to look good in clothes with it. I don’t know how to get rid of it. In fact, women of my age without belly fat look too thin.”

Honestly, that’s what I used to say.

It seemed overwhelming to me to ever be able to get rid of it. So it was there for good. But not for my good.  Just for the good of the clothing manufacturers who adjusted their sizes and styles to suit the millions of women like me with, yup, rolls of belly fat, jiggling away in front.

No more.

I got rid of my belly fat without exotic surgeries or secret strategies. I am very up front about it. I just stopped eating animal  fat of any kind (chicken, pork, beef, fish, milk, cheese, cream, ice cream, butter, mayonaise) and replaced that with Udo’s oil, olive oil, coconut oil, a pill of Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, some seeds and nuts and more. My husband is reminding me that I also gave up lots of empty carbs, like pasta, white potatoes and bleached rice. The “more” is lots of raw fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains, minimal amounts of bread using Ezekiel sprouted grain products sparingly, crackers that are gluten free, coconut, cashew or rice frozen deserts, Barley Max, water and peppermint tea.

Try it. You will look and feel better than you ever have and you will get to buy new clothes.

Healthy Eating on the Road

It requires a little thought but you can eat healthy on the road. Driving from Florida to Virginia yesterday, here's how I managed it.

First, I brought some fruit and my Barley Max in the car. That got me by for a little while.

My husband did  most of the driving so when he suggested Denny's for breakfast, I didn't have the heart to say no. I ordered a fruit cup which was grapes, strawsberries and cantelope. Then I ordered the veggie omelet, hold the eggs. I got a small bowl of sauteed veggies. I had a cup of herbal tea and that was breakfast.

I snacked in the car on some dried unsulphured apricots and dried figs.

For lunch we went to Subway and I ordered the veggie delite, hold the cheese, on the multi-grain wheat bread. I asked for extra spinach and got it, on a foot long, for $5.

For dinner we went to Taco Bell. I ordered 2 crispy tacos with beans, rice, tomato, onion, and guacamole and they were delicious.

So I did it!

It can be done.

Asian Dinner

Tonight I am making a cup of organic Basmati rice. I use olive oil instead of butter to prevent sticking.

Then I will saute some minced garlic, some chopped baby bok choy, some green onions, some left over white onion, several shitake mushrooms, sliced, a little sliced fresh ginger and some fresh bean sprouts. I might add some chopped eggplant.

I saute and then add a dot of water, cover and steam for less than 10 minutes and add Nama Shoyu, organic soy sauce that is also a probiotic.

Serve the the veggies over the rice and you will love the homemade Asian dish.

Did I mention that it was healthy and filling?

Sweet Potato Dinner

What's for Dinner? Tonight was super easy.

First, I baked 2 large sweet potatoes, one to share for dinner and the second for my husband to slice, saute in olive oil and eat tomorrow. He loves it that way.

Tonight, after baking at 425 degrees for an hour, I cut the potato in half and "dressed" each half this way. I dusted each with cinnamon, grated a raw apple over each and then drizzled maple syrup on each.

This is delicious.

For a second course, I took some leftover pinto beans, added minced garlic, a diced organic tomato and ate that. My husband had BBQ beans also with the garlic and tomato.

As I type this, I am full and happy. Try it.

Friends?

Talking with a young waitress yesterday got me thinking about who determines what we eat.

This woman was eating food that she knew wasn't good for her because "going out to eat with friends, it was easier."

She used to be a vegan, then a vegetarian, then she added fish and each "add" to her diet was something she knew, in her heart of hearts, wasn't good for her.

What voices in your head or what people at your table determine what you eat?

My mother used to say, "Eat your bread." And it was delicious bread, Challah, a Jewish twisted egg bread that she would buy on Fridays for the Sabbath. She increased her order from the Hilltop Bakery in North Bergen,  NJ from 2 to 3 loaves because on the way home from the store, I would eat about half a loaf.

Who knew at that time that the flour and gluten in the flour would make my stomach blow up and look 6 months pregnant, every week? Not us! I ate the bread because it tasted good any my mom liked me to eat bread. Maybe she liked me to eat bread because she ate bread.

Although still delicious, I don't eat that bread anymore, not only because of the bloat but because I don't want to waste calories on something that is bankrupt nutritionally. What about you?

Do you hear voices from your past urging you to eat this or drink that because it was a family tradition, or it was part of great family social times?

It's time to replace those voices with new ones. Who are your nutritional role models? Don't have any? Then get some. Read. Check out: www.hacres.com  or another good blog: www.dailyraw.com

No meal is worth me having to "diet" for a week. That means if I am with friends or family, and they eat a steak that smells wonderful, or eat cheese cake that I know is delicious, or drink alcohol that I know hurts them, I will sit quietly and remind myself why I don't eat or drink those things. It takes too long to recover and
the yo-yo cycle of eating those things and then detoxing is a lot of trouble and not worth it.

Where will those people be if I am in the hospital suffering from a heart attack, a stroke, cancer, liver disease or other possible side effect of wrong eating? Where will they be? Even if they are at my bedside, they will not be in my body with me hurting, wasting away, struggling to recover. Only I will be there.

I don't want to be there. So self-control, awareness, vigilance and careful choosing will  keep me away.

Sometimes my husband used to come home from the grocery store with a few boxes of some sweet dessert and assert proudly, "They were on sale!" I always responded in the same way, "If cyanide were on sale, would you buy it?"

No, and h--- no!

Friends don't give friends cyanide. You give it to yourself. You have choices. Choose this day who you will please, the perception of what you think friends want, or what you know you should eat!

It's worth it.

Caffeine Again

A  recent study on caffeine has been in many newspapers, about how caffeine cuts prostate risk. Conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health it declares that heavy coffee drinkers were less likely to be diagnosed with a lethal prostate tumor.

I don't know who funded that study, but I wouldn't be surprised if pharmaceutical and the coffee lobby were be hind it.

I need to repeat what I believe to be true. Check out www.hacres.com for more.
After reading this, choose your poison carefully.

DR. JOHN MCDOUGALL SPEAKS ON THE SUBJECT OF CAFFEINE
Following are a few quotes taken from Dr. John McDougall’s book The McDougall Plan.

“Some of the most popular DRUGS consumed by people of affluent western nations are found in coffee beans, tea leaves, and cocoa beans (chocolate)… all of which contain a group of natural substances known as methylxanthines. These chemicals include caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine. Many prescription and nonprescription drugs also contain methylxanthines.
“One of the most important of the methylxanthines is the popular DRUG ‘caffeine’… undesirable effects from the stimulating properties of caffeine include: elevated heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, frequent urination, increased gastric acid secretion (which contributes to indigestion, gastritis, and ulcers), nervousness, irritability, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, and diarrhea. Obviously, discontinuing caffeine will relieve the problems caused by this DRUG. It is particularly important for someone with hypertension who is trying to lower his or her blood pressure to stop drinking caffeinated beverages.
“Caffeine has been shown to cause birth defects in animals and is suspected of causing the same defects in humans. It would follow that you should completely avoid coffee, tea, colas, and chocolate in all forms during pregnancy.
“All three of the methylxanthines can stimulate growth of breast cells, causing painful enlargement of breast tissue and benign lumps. This condition is known as fibrocystic disease… In as many as 90 percent of women with fibrocystic disease, these benign breast lumps significantly improve or completely disappear in two to six months when methylxanthines are eliminated from the diet. There is also concern from investigators that the chronic stimulation of the breast tissue by methylxanthines may progress to cancer of the breast. Cancer of the bladder also has been related to caffeine use.
“One more undesirable effect of caffeine is that the DRUG has been shown to cause loss of calcium from the body. Therefore, another dietary maneuver you can use to prevent and possibly correct thin, calcium-deficient bones, or osteoporosis, would be to discontinue use of caffeine.
“The body actually becomes physically addicted to caffeine. When you attempt to quit taking this DRUG, expect withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, anxiety, irritability, drowsiness, tension, and depression. Withdrawal symptoms can last as long as a week.”

DR. RUSSELL BLAYLOCK SPEAKS OUT ON THE SUBJECT OF CAFFEINE
In the November 2005 issue of Newsmax magazine Dr. Blaylock reports:

“Caffeine is considered to be the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world. In some ways it is acting like MDMA (Ecstasy) and cocaine. That is, it stimulates brain cells intensively… If you stop consuming caffeine you will notice two things right away: that you cannot stay awake and that you have a splitting headache… This is because the brain has turned down the sensitivity to caffeine so much that your brain is struggling to remain conscious. The headache is because of rebound dilation of the blood vessels in the scalp… Excessive caffeine has several dangers. With high consumption, one can have a sudden seizure or even abnormal heartbeats. On some occasions the abnormal heartbeats – called arrhythmias – can lead to sudden death, especially if your magnesium is low.”

MORE ADVERSE EFFECTS RESEARCH HAS REVEALED
Caffeine stresses the nervous system; increases uric acid production and can lead to kidney damage. Researchers at Boston University Medical Center consider coffee intake to be associated with heart attacks and cancer, and when used with sugar becomes even more harmful.
“Coffee nerves” or “coffee jitters” can occur after 150 mg (1 cup) are ingested, while physiological and psychological dependence can occur at 300 mg/day (2 cups).
62% of American coffee drinkers in a recent survey claimed they “could not function” without their daily coffee (caffeine) intake.
Caffeine intoxication is a form of severe poisoning that occurs at the cellular level when as little as 250 mg of caffeine is consumed in a day. This toxic stimulant may result in heart palpitations, stomach irritation, dizziness, muscle tension and trembling, insomnia, shortness of breath, diarrhea, ringing in ears, lightheadedness, and headaches.
Children are far more susceptible to caffeine intoxication due to lighter body weight and comparative purity of physiology. Parents who wouldn’t dream of giving their children coffee are giving them the equivalent dose of caffeine every time they let them indulge in caffeinated soft drinks, cocoa, iced tea, and chocolate. The irony is that most of the caffeine taken from coffee in the decaffeinization process is bought by the soft-drink industry and added to soft drinks!
Caffeine first triggers an adrenalin release and then mimics the “fight-or-flight” response by stimulating the cardio-respiratory and central nervous systems. Every cell, organ, and system is affected by caffeine.
Caffeine speeds up Basal Metabolic Rate by 10 – 25%. It increases blood pressure, causes irregular heart rate, and restricts brain blood flow. It is implicated in cardiovascular disease. Six cups of coffee daily, doubles heart attack risk.
Caffeine stimulates overproduction of gastric pepsin/hydrochloric acid, contributing to the formation of stomach ulcers.
Besides all of these physical symptoms of auto-poisoning, caffeine can stimulate mental disorders with symptoms identical to “anxiety neurosis”: nervousness, irritability, self-consciousness, moodiness, and/or depression. Indeed, some people who suffer from mental disorders are undoubtedly “adding fuel to the fire” when they become caught in a vicious circle of caffeine use.