How to treat ADHD naturally

Source: http://www.dryaun.com/

I'm going to preface this blog post by stating that I am NOT a physician nor do I care to be one. I am passionate about holistic nutrition and using natural supplements and remedies to combat illnesses and diseases. I do not prescribe any medication, but I take full advantage of the freedom of having my opinions based on research. 

On that note...here we go.

Many people have asked for my advice on how to treat ADHD naturally to avoid medications such as Ritalin or Adderall for their children.

In the past decade, the diagnosis for ADHD/ADD for school-aged children has risen tremendously. According to the Journal of Pediatrics, child prescriptions for ADHD drugs jumped 50% from 2002 to 2012.

7 Side Effects of Soda

This is nothing new to my blog but if you want a quick refresher on the ingredients to stay away from, check out a previous post on Bad Ingredients.

Stay Healthy!

Same ol' New Years Resolution

Happy New Years Readers!!!

When the majority of American's create their New Year's Resolutions, 99% (my own made up stat...lol) have some sort of weight loss goal. In addition, this stat is true: 80% of resolutions are renounced by February.

Here's a way to really try to hit those weight loss goals and KEEP it off! First, make a healthy diet change, for life. Don't go ON A DIET. It never works, because when you lose the weight and "get off the diet" you gain it all back plus some extra lovin'.

Here's a list of 8 ways to make the change for a healthier you:

1. Eat more greens! I don't care if you buy Green Vibrance (which is amazing) and take a scoop of it a day in a shake or if you eat raw greens...just do =)

2. Take time to eat breakfast. I hear the complaint all the time about not having time or not wanting to because all they need is coffee. Uhhh...wrong! The word comes from breaking the fast from your previous meal usually about 15 hours before. You need to get your metabolism jumpstarted or it will lag the rest of the day leaving you without energy and fuel.

3. Get more fiber. Women need 25-30 grams per day and Men need 30-35 grams per day of fiber. Most Americans get about 10 grams. It's no wonder most of Americans are constipated and unable to detoxify properly. Flax seed, rice bran, fruits, vegetables and beans are a great way to boost up your fiber intake. Start reading those labels people! =)

4. Go wild with berries: blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries...they provide a powerhouse of antioxidents. I usually buy frozen berries and add a scoop of my green's powder for an awesome smoothie jam packed with nutrition.

5. Cut out hydrogenated trans fats. Read labels and make sure none of it has anything "hydrogenated oil" or "partially hydrogenated oil". This oil is what raises the bad cholesterol, clogs arteries and gives you the lovely fat around your body.

6. Avoid artificial flavors. From vitamins all the way to candy, these sneaky colors make it onto 80% of children's food and about 75% of our grocery store. This is what gives coloring to the food. As if it matters what color it is. There are natural ways to color things (aside from leaving it the color it was intended to be) through beet juice, carrots...etc. Stay away from "Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5...etc)

7. Stay away from White Sugar or High Fructose Corn Syrup. Or any corn syrup for that matter. To really shed those pounds, stay away from refined and highly processed sugars. These raise insulin levels, and can lead to a myriad of diseases starting with obesity.

8. Drink more green tea. It's full of antioxidents and can help with weight loss and cancer prevention. It has so many benefits, it's no wonder its been an ancient tradition in Asia.

Hope this gets you off to a good start! Happy New Year!

Bad Ingredient List

I've been asked several times to post the "bad ingredients list". This list is an easy guide to help give you a jump start on learning to read labels. For decades, the food industry has been able to fool the general public with artificial ingredients and chemicals that can cause serious side effects, allergies and even diseases.

I've composed a basic list that my husband and I live by. We both can skim products in seconds and know whether or not to purchase it. It's great to be in control of what you are consuming and what you choose to buy. If you want to know why a certain ingredient is on my list, just let me know. This list will be updated whenever I find a new synthetic ingredient that should not be consumed.

Bad Ingredients List:

• Phosphoric acid (normally found in carbonated drinks)
• Dextrose (Sweetener)
• Sucrose (Sweetener) 
• Aspartame (Sweetener) 
• Sorbitol (Sweetener) 
• Splenda (Sweetener)
• Artificial Colors
• Artificial Flavors
• Enriched or bleached ingredients
• Sugar
• BHT (Preservative) 
• TBHQ (Preservative) 
• BHA (Preservative)
• Sodium Benzoate
• Polysorbate 80, Polysorbate 40
• Vanillin (not to be confused with Vanilla)
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Corn Syrup
• Nitrates
• MSG
• Soybean Extract (MSG in disguise)
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
• Autolyzed Yeast
• Hydrogenated Oil

Knowledge is power. Here's to good health =)

Blueberries faked in products

I've been talking about this for a few years now, but here's a great video that shows a great example of what products REALLY contain. 
 
Blueberries faked in cereals, muffins, bagels and other food products - Food Investigations - NaturalNews.tv

Make this post will refresh your memory of what food coloring is really made of: Food Coloring.

The Color of Food.

Take a look around in the grocery store and see the thousands of products available. All different shapes, colors, textures, and tastes. Most of them unnatural. 

What makes fruit punch red? Let me give you a hint...it's not fruit. That's right, food coloring! Red dye to be precise. What makes fruit snacks for kids all the colors of the rainbow? Again, not fruit. More food coloring. Medicines, cosmetics, and foods all contain colorings which are ingested into our bloodstreams daily.

Food coloring is in so much of the food Americans consume. Why? Because we create processed, unnatural, artificial foods that we want to see reflect the color of what it's imitating or just a fun array of color choices as in candy and snacks.

Here's the deal with food coloring: it's toxic to our bodies. Today, most colorings are made from petroleum (yes, the source for gasoline, kerosene and asphalt). Most people do not know this but even though a dye is prohibited from use in foods, it does not mean its banned from use in medicines or cosmetics. "If it's unsafe to swallow a dye in food, how can it be acceptable to apply it to the skin or swallow it in the form of medicine?" (Jane Hersey)


Red Dye No. 3

• Has been shown to cause thyroid tumors
• Represents 20% of the uses of dye
• Used to color maraschino cherries
• Is partially banned by the FDA but still found in some cosmetics and drugs applied to skin
• Three different FDA Commissioners tried - and failed - to have this chemical removed from the food supply
• Has high "lipid solubility" or its ability to dissolve in fatty tissue, including fatty tissues of the brain
• In combination with light, Red No. 3 interfered with the way nerve cells release neurotransmitters
• Registered by the Environmental Protection Agency as a pesticide
• "Consumption of Red No. 3, which has estrogen-like growth stimulatory properties...could be a significant risk factor in human breast carcinogenesis (cancer)." (Estrogenic and DNA-damaging activity of Red No. 3 in human breast cancer cells, Dees et al, Environ Health Perspect 1997 Apr; 105 Suppl 3:625-32) 
• Red No. 3 was shown to cause abnormalities and reduced mobility of sperm in mice.  (A study on the reproductive toxicity of erythrosine in male mice. Adbel et al, Pharmacol Res 1997 May; 35(5):457-62)

FD&C Blue No. 2  

• Manufactured through a chemical process that includes: formaldehyde, aniline, several hydrozides under ammonia pressure, and heating in the presence of sulfuric acid.
• Contains lead, mercury, and arsenic

These are two examples of facts corresponding to food dyes. ALL food coloring is made up of similar ingredients and can lead to possible behavioral and learning difficulties, cancer, birth defects, etc. 

Here is a sample of some dyes found in over-the-counter medicine:

• D&C Red 7, D&C Red 22, D&C Red 27, D&C Red 28 (red dye used to kill fruit flies), D&C Red 30, D&C Red 33
• FD&C Blue 1
• FD&C Yellow 6
• D&C Yellow 10

Dyes that are permitted in foods:

• FD&C Red 3
• FD&C Red 40
• FD&C Yellow 5
• FD&C Yellow 6
• FD&C Blue 1
• FD&C Blue 2
• FD&C Green 3

Though it was difficult initially to rid ourselves of all food coloring, it's not as bad as you may think.  Always read labels and make sure you try as much as possible to stay away from this.

Chances are, if the food has artificial coloring/dyes, the nutritious content is low and you probably shouldn't be eating it.

Now, fruits and vegetables, those are the natural colors of life that provide a healthy life. They are colorful, natural, healthy and nutritious.  

For natural ways to color food for baking, visit your local health food store.