Tag: #gethealthy

Autoimmune issues, Diet, Fitness, Health and Fitness, Healthy Eating, NonGMO, wellness

GMO Corn – Are you eating it?

mardeecalkins

After watching the very informative film, Genetic Roulette (you can stream this on Amazon for $3.99), I realized that most gluten-free people have been making a grave mistake with our gluten free diets.

For ten years, corn has been my carb-of-choice because it was “safe” for me. Tex-mex restaurants were my go-to for dining out, but guess what? Unless it’s an organic Tex-mex restaurant, we’re adding to the health problem that’s forced us to be gluten free in the first place.

Corn is the most compromised grain when it comes to GMO’s. Everything I’ve read and watched has convinced me that my auto-immune disease is a result of the chemical companies and what they’re doing to our grains.  “Leaky gut” syndrome is a result of the chemicals (BT toxin) on corn that are designed to explode the stomach of the bugs that get on the corn. Problem: those same chemicals have worked great on our small intestine, breaking down the lining of the small intestine, allowing our food to leak into our bloodstream and then confusing the immune system’s function of determining what is an actual virus or bacteria and what is simply our food that has not been digested correctly. Our small intestine is ultimately our immune system and once it’s comprised, it takes daily focus to repair it.

Protect your kids, save yourself and learn more about the chemicals that are in some of our most common foods and what they are doing to your body. The increasing cancer, diabetes, autism and heart disease rates are not a coincidence with our changing food supply. Our health issues rising correlate almost exactly with the introduction of chemicals into our food supply. Keep in mind that most of the chemicals, antibiotics and hormones in American food are not allowed in other countries. GMO’s are more dangerous than anyone wants us to know. Start healing your immune system today by not buying anything except Non-GMO foods. Every time we purchase a GMO product, we support the chemical corps that have infested our food with their chemicals.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being a science experiment. Check this out: http://www.nongmoproject.org

Autoimmune issues, Healthy Eating, Recipes

Kale Kleanse Kick-off

mardeecalkins

How did Day 1 go on the Kleanse?

Did your chicken, kale salad and veggies fill you up?

Please send me your comments and your questions. I want to support you to get Klean and make new habits that will help relieve cravings and encourage whole-body health.

Stay with it! You can do this. Health and nutrition are a choice. Let’s get well, let’s get strong and let’s do it now!

Healthy Eating, Recipes

The Kale Kleanse starts tomorrow- Recipes

mardeecalkins

It’s time to get Kale Klean! I know it seems intimidating to eat so specifically for a week, but if you jump in and stay on the program, you’ll have big rewards at the end of the week including shedding some pounds, reducing cravings and fortifying your body in the very best of ways.

Cleaning up your diet, eating specifically and cleansing your body is a great start to the new year and a new you! You can do this. Take it one meal at a time and remember to eat all of the veggies you want. You will have more energy, less hunger and your week will fly by if you eat plenty of veggies at meals.

The things we’re specifically avoiding this week include gluten, sugar, dairy, grains, chocolate and coffee. Getting these craving-causers out of your meals for the week will help you identify what might be causing you some problems.

After the 7 days, if you want to reintroduce some of these foods, do it slowly, no more than 1 restricted food every 3 days. It’s a mini-elmination diet and you can handle it for such a short period of time. Just stay with the program and notice how you’re feeling. Keeping a food journal on a cleanse and following a cleanse can be a huge help.

Seasonings and condiments for the Kale Kleanse

Apple Cider Vinegar

Olive Oil

Wheat-free tamari

Simply organic taco seasoning

Sweat Leaf stevia – liquid

Herbs de Provence

Salad dressing recipe

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup of water

1/2 lemon juice or

2 tablespoons of wheat free tamari

1/2 tablespoon Herbs De Provence

3 drops of Sweet Leaf stevia

Place all ingredients in a jar, shake to mix

Tasty Taco Chicken Breasts and Kale Salad

2 chicken breasts

1/2 packet of Simply Organic taco seasoning (following directions on packet for half the packet, add to chicken)

Place chicken breasts in a 9×9 baking pan, add the mixed taco seasoning, cook covered at 350 for 25 minutes, then uncovered for 10 minutes, or until cooked through or until thermometer reads 165.

Cut chicken breasts in two, you want a 3-4 ounce serving size for each meal. This first recipe should give you 4 lunches, depending on the size of the breasts and  if you are not sharing. Cut into bite size pieces, add to your kale salad.

Kale Salad

Recommendation: Wash and prepare all vegetables so they are easy for you to grab and throw together in a salad in less than 5 minutes. It’s like your own personal salad bar. Place prepared veggies in storage containers in your refrigerator and you’ve got quick meals and snacks at hand.

2 cups kale (stems removed) add 2 tablespoons of salad dressing and massage the dressing into the kale until it softens. This will make the kale tastier.

1/4 cup chopped bell peppers (any color except green)

1/4 cup chopped carrots

1/4 cup chopped cucumber

1/4 cup chopped celery

Toss your chicken in, add 1 more tablespoon of dressing and YUM, you’ve got a perfect meal. This salad is a perfect portion of protein, nutrients, vitamins and fiber. Eat up and eat even more salad (not chicken) if you’re still hungry.

Here’s a reminder of a day on the Kale Kleanse

7:00 – Wake up – 1/2 lemon in 16 ounces of water

7:30 – Kale smoothie for breakfast (notice this is a smoothie, not juice, we want the fiber, here’s the link to the smoothie recipe in case you missed it: https://mardeecalkins.com/2015/01/11/kale-kleanse-shopping-list/)

10:30 – Apple with tahini snack

1:30 – lunch LARGE Kale Salad (as much as you want) with 3-4 ounce protein serving

4:30 – snack jicama or celery (as much as you want) with 1/4 cup almonds or almond butter 2 tablespoons

7:30 – Kale smoothie

Glass of water with lemon and supplements by 9:00

Bed by 10ish- getting sleep is so important, especially when we are kleansing.

We are eating every 3 hours with a 12 hour fast from supper to breakfast, allowing our digestive system to rest.

Let me know how you’re doing on the Kale Kleanse! You will be leaner, lighter and Kleaner in 7 days.

 

wellness

5 Changes That Could Save Your Child and Your Health

mardeecalkins

I often hear from friends and clients (I’m a health coach, fitness trainer and Pilates teacher) that their doctor has prescribed this or that medication for their child’s ADD, ADHD, autism, Asperger’s, allergies, asthma, anxiety, depression, etc. What if you could make HUGE improvements to your child’s symptoms and behaviors by cleaning out your pantry? Would you do it? It seems like a simple question and an obvious answer, but I’m confronted daily with the disconnect between our processed food environment and what’s going on with our health.

My 10 year-old son, James, was diagnosed with Asperger’s, Tourette’s and allergies when he was very small, but the diagnosis was wrong, he did have symptoms, but it wasn’t his body that was sick, it was our diet. James no longer has symptoms of Asperger’s or Tourette’s and he’s never taken any medication for those diagnosis. We’ve changed his life (and ours) forever, by simply changing our diet.

James was 18 months old when we began to notice him changing. I did not allow any of his vaccinations to be done on the doctor’s schedule, we did them, but on James’ time, not the pediatrician’s. Between 18 months and 3 years old he became more and more withdrawn. He had violent outbursts when he was unhappy, spitting, hitting, kicking, saying every bad word he could conjure (they were minimal, thankfully). His anxiety attacks were devastating. He reminded me of a spooked horse, unable to focus on anything but fear. It was heart-breaking to watch and I’ve never felt so helpless as a parent.

After James was born I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Looking back, I’m so grateful for that diagnosis. The medication offered to me had awful side effects that I couldn’t get past, so I found a holistic doctor. The doctor drew several vials of blood, informed me they would run some tests and said to stop eating anything with yeast or gluten until my results came back. Within about 48 hours the pain I’d lived with for 8 months subsided, just like that. And a side effect of this simple change was that my lifelong asthma vanished- never to be heard from again (10 years later).

At 8 years old, after a week long bout of Tourette’s “barking” and considering hospitalizing James to stop the Tourette’s episode, we opted to try cleaning up James’ diet. We took him off all simple carbohydrates (including grains). He ate only vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs and nuts. Within 48 hours his “barking” tic had reduced to a barely audible “chirp” that continued to improve as the weeks went by. James’ anxiety has vanished. He never has violent outbursts. He no longer has tics. He could not be a more pleasant, sweet, loving and endearing human being. He is my sweetest and easiest child (out of 3). It was a long road- but we are healthy and symptom-free, simply by changing our diet.

Here are the 5 things that made a HUGE difference for our family:

1) No gluten
2) No sugar
3) No dairy
4) No preservatives (like MSG, yeast extract, nitrites)
5) No artificial coloring

Processed foods are causing unprecedented illness. Will you try these changes in your home? What’s stopping you? Please- leave a comment and let me know how I can help you.