Nature's Express - Healthier Fast Food

Working out the kinks

2014-09-19T23:40:00.002-07:00

I am going to need to figure out how to edit this, as I'm not Dr. Carl... so its really not "Dr. Carl's" blog, its the Natures Express blog... But do you care?

Things at the restaurant are going well. We have a new lease, food is coming out well, the team is amazing, and we are all having fun! The customers love us again, and though sales have been down since the changeover, morale is up! Because the food is coming out well.

There were a lot of things said about the changeover that were not true, and I would urge people to think about what may or may not be true. Natures express is far from extinct, as some have suggested...

J Levine,
Manager

2014-08-25T16:49:00.001-07:00

Changes and improvements

You may have heard that some things have changed, or some rumors.
Well, there have been some changes and there are some rumors. I've sold natures express, as my time to devote to the project has been "slim-to-none" for the last couple of years. Three people were laid off, not fired as some suggested. New management has taken quite a bit of flack for no valid reason. I understand that the employees were angry, but in the restaurant business anger is generally not a sentiment to "take public" but I appreciated all who worked hard under my employ.

There were no qualified candidates to hand off management to from within, as my head chef turned the job down. I found some buyers who are dedicated to my vision of sustainable healthy vegan food. Their choice of management is excellent, and the people from Donut Farm (Pepples Vegan Donuts) serve some of the best non-gmo vegan food in the state as well as run a 100% organic vegan bakery.
Pepples is an Alameda county certified green business, as Natures' Express hopes to be soon.
I hope to encourage all who enjoy the food at Natures' Express to encourage Mr. Levine and his team as they forge ahead, and make my vision an economically sustainable one for the first time.

Please continue to support the restaurant, as our recipes, food, vision, and mission is indeed the same.
Onward and upward, all of us, and God save the kale!

Dr. Myers

Sustainable Tuna. Is there such a thing?

2011-10-15T18:24:00.005-07:00

I used to really love fishing. Sometimes I even fantasized about the future when I would have both the time to fish and some grandkids to show how to wait patiently for a bite.

I also loved to eat seafood – tuna steaks and lobsters were my favorites. But after becoming vegetarian 20 years ago, I quit eating seafood. While occasionally I still miss eating fish, I really miss fishing.

A while back, I went to the Seattle Aquarium with my two grandsons. I find aquariums fascinating, now loving fish for the fish themselves – the incredible variety, their stunning beauty, and their joy (I presume) to be alive. While I still feel sad that my fantasy of fishing with the grandkids isn’t going to happen, sharing the wonders of the life of the sea brought joy to all.

However, when lunchtime arrived, I found the cafeteria disquieting. While my opinions represent a minority perspective, it now seems odd that after showing us how wonderful sea creatures are and how our fishing practices are ruining their habitat, I am supposed to revel in the fact that certain fish are not yet endangered, so eat up! At one time that perspective made perfect sense to me as well.

When we got home, I did a little research on sustainable fishing. The Monterey Aquarium has extensive consumer information as a guide. What I found was disconcerting.

For example, under Albacore Tuna (one of seven kinds of tuna the Monterey Aquarium discusses) their summary table advises:

The best choice is U.S. Pacific or Canadian Pacific albacore tuna caught by troll or “pole and line.”
Avoid all longline albacore caught anywhere in the world (except Hawaii). This is a problem because this method of fishing tends to catch older fish that have accumulated too much mercury.
Avoid even “wild-caught” albacore in the North Atlantic.
At a retail level canned white tuna is both a “best choice” and an “avoid.”
All the other market names they give – Longfin Tunny, Shiro Maguro, and Tombo are also confusingly both a “best choice” and an “avoid.”

So, all of the market names are both the best and the worst!

The bottom line is that consumers wanting to learn about sustainable or healthier albacore tuna find information that is, at best, confusing. And if the world of tuna eaters all ate just the tuna from the U.S. or Canada Pacific, how long would that be sustainable? Does this seem nuts to anyone else?

If you want a truly sustainable tuna sandwich – try ours. There is no threat to the health or the population of Garbanzo Beans (the base of our “hold the Tuna”) – that we know of.

Bon appétit!

By Dr. Carl Myers

Our kids deserve a better world

2011-10-07T20:43:00.009-07:00

Our children live in an obesogenic world. That is the medical term for the things in our environment that make us fat.

The causes behind the child obesity epidemic include a sedentary lifestyle plus a diet that is:High in sugar

· High in fat

· High in salt

· Low in fiber

The average 8 year old watches 4000 junk food commercials a year encouraging them to eat the worst of the worst. After 4000 commercials, who is going to listen to Mom?

No surprise - high fat and high sugar diets create fat kids.

Children 40 years ago rarely had high cholesterol, hypertension, or glucose intolerance. Now 60% of kids who are overweight have at least one of these problems. Obesity in kids also increases asthma, liver dysfunction, sleep apnea and Type II diabetes.

We have known this for years, so why does the problem of childhood obesity continue to get worse? Some blame the schools, some blame the parents, and some blame the soda companies or fast food joints.

Kids have a sugar habit even before they start school. Four year olds eat over 60 pounds of sugar per year – 40 pounds more than recommended. What can be done?

The 5-2-1-Almost None Program is a fantastic start.

It stresses a daily routine for kids with 5 or more fruits and vegetables, no more than two hours of screen time, at least one hour of physical activity, and almost no sugary beverages.

It’s time to leave the obesogenic world behind!

Make the 5-2-1-Almost None guidelines the healthy choice for your family.

Change your world one step at a time

2011-08-18T08:18:00.003-07:00

Do you have a bad habit that you would like to change? Experts divide a

person’s readiness for change into six groups:

1. “I don’t want to change” (Precontemplation)

2. “I might consider changing” (Contemplation)

3. “I’m planning on how to change” (Preparation)

4. “I’ve changed” (Making the break)

5. “I don’t want to go back to the way I was ” (Maintenance)

6. “I’m thoroughly changed” (Transformation)

Understanding one’s readiness greatly increases the chance for success

and each stage requires a different approach.

In stage 1, before one is really ready to change you might ask

yourself, “If I were to stop, why would I? Common answers include “To

save money” or “To be a better influence on my kids”. Such “what if”

questions plant the seeds for future change.

In Stage 2, one is ready to think about change. Collecting all the facts is

helpful at this stage. Comparing the gap between one’s principles and

one’s actions can generate motivation.

In stage 3, when planning one’s strategy for change it is helpful to be

inspired by others’ who have kicked your habit. Learning from your

own previous attempts is also key. Let your friends know your plans

and elicit help along the way. Create a rallying cry. For instance “This

Christmas I will once again be a size 10!”

When you are actually ready to start a change, make sure you are

prepared. Spur of the moment action plans are unlikely to succeed. Set

the stage for success by developing and sticking to your comprehensive

plan.

Stage 5, the maintenance stage, requires vigilance. Overconfidence is

the biggest cause of slipping up. For example, learn to celebrate in new

ways - even if it means avoiding your previous drinking buddies. Like a

boy scout, be prepared. If you slip, get right back on your plan. Don’t get

derailed for good.

Tackling an addiction can be the most difficult obstacle one ever faces -

but freedom when one succeeds is ever so sweet.

We all live in a nanny submarine

2011-08-09T08:16:00.002-07:00

Healthy Yuma 2011 is a community effort to help those opting for healthier lifestyle choices. This raises some concerns.

Is this a “nanny state” effort? Is this a misguided project trying to exert excessive control over people’s lives? Shouldn’t we let everyone come to their own conclusions? After all, don’t people already know what foods are healthy?

Unfortunately we already live in a “nanny” state. Government strongly influences what we eat through billions of dollars of direct and indirect agriculture subsidies. Less than 5% of that money goes to the most healthy, highly nutritious foods, while the rest goes to less healthy food or pure junk.

You can see the result of this subsidy imbalance everywhere. Our employee break rooms are toxic food dumps while our celebrations are sugar on top of sugar. Our daily food routines overcome our natural tendency to be fit and healthy, leaving us fighting those extra pounds of fat.

So our current governmental nanny is alive and well, supporting a food

environment where our kids are addicted to soda and salty snacks even before they are out of diapers. Our nanny has revolutionized our children’s diseases as well. Thirty years ago hypertension and high cholesterol was rare. Doctors even needed to rename adult onset diabetes as Type II diabetes because it is now a disease of kids, too.

The Beatle’s Yellow Submarine artfully sketches the benefits when we are in balance with our priorities:

As we live a life of ease,

Every one of us has all we need,

Sky of blue, and sea of green,

In our yellow submarine.

Societies are so immersed in their culture that it is easy to forget its profound

influence. It is time to reconsider ours.

As we live a life diseased,

Every one of us consumed in need,

Feeling blue, and feeling green,

In our nanny submarine.

Just the facts, ma’am”

2011-07-14T12:53:00.003-07:00

Sergeant Friday, from the Dragnet series, was careful not to get derailed in getting to the bottom of a case. He was only interested the facts. So, here are just a few facts – see if you can figure out the identity, of the offender. The facts were recently released in a World Health Organization report.

Here are the clues. What is it?

The world’s third largest cause of disease and disability
The cause of almost two and a half million deaths per year
The cause of over one in five cancer deaths
The leading cause of death in men from age 15 to 59
The cause of 30% of deaths from injuries

This offender can make you permanently stupid, or in medical jargon cause

neuropsychiatric dysfunction.

Have you guessed yet? The cause of this destruction and a real poison to our health, is the abuse of alcohol.

Is it a growing problem? In AZ it is. Newsweek recently reported that binge drinking is up 74% in AZ, in the last decade.

However, because alcohol is addicting and getting smashed is somehow cool, such facts alone are unlikely to change risky behavior. But there comes a time when people decide enough is enough.

So if alcohol is disrupting your life or the health of your relationships, there is no better time than now to begin the process back to normal. Call 866-407-4380, to assist you in getting started, whether for you, your family, or a friend.

Healthy Yuma 2011 is a year for the citizens of Yuma County to join together to get healthier, a time to pitch in, to make a better community. What do you plan to do?

This is Dr. Carl Myers for Healthy Yuma 2011.

Avoid the Salt Assault

2011-06-29T11:58:00.002-07:00

We vastly underestimate the health risk of a high salt diet. It is estimated that

150,000 lives could be saved every year if Americans cut their salt intake to the

recommended amount.

To put that into perspective: In just two years, as many Americans die from a high salt diet as died in combat during all of World War II.

Here are five facts you should know about salt:

1. Excessive salt raises blood pressure, wrecking havoc with one’s

cardiovascular system and kidneys.

2. After one high salt meal one’s arteries are inflexible for hours

3. Only 6% of our salt comes from the saltshaker; the vast majority comes from

processed foods and restaurant meals

4. Salt is listed as “sodium” on food labels. If the sodium number (in milligrams) is bigger than the number of calories per serving, it is a high salt food.

5. The average American eats over 3600mg of sodium per day which is double

the recommended amount

At first it might seem hard to cut back on salt, but in just six weeks of eating a

normal amount of salt, your taste buds become more sensitive. Foods that were

bland in the past become flavorful and foods that you once craved taste too salty!

Adding fruits and vegetables to your day are a great way to start. They are very

low salt - just one of the reasons they are the best foods on the planet!

So if you’d like to enjoy your food more—and perhaps tack a few more years onto your life - cut down on your salt intake.

Don't waste your willpower

2011-06-15T08:03:00.002-07:00

We all know about willpower. It’s that grit inside that gets us to do what we should when it’s not easy. But often our willpower is not up to the task. As Mae West quips, “I generally avoid temptation, unless I can’t resist it.”

No one denies that willpower is key when choosing a healthier lifestyle. But why can’t we just choose a plan of action and then do it? How do we strengthen our gumption? The answer - use willpower wisely.

Most of us tend to overestimate the strength of our willpower. We sit in front of the TV with a bag of potato chips and expect that with a new diet plan, we will stop at 50 calories. Yeah, right.

Science calls this misplaced hutzpah “restraint bias”. Although we might think

we can do it, when staring down our main attraction (chocolate, cookies, heroin -whatever) with willpower alone, nine times out of ten, we will fail. This waste of willpower over time creates a habit of failure.

Instead, use your willpower to prevent major confrontations with temptation in the first place:

- Use a grocery list and only buy what’s on it

- Don’t go to the grocery hungry

- Just say “no” to stopping for a beer after work and schedule a walk with a friend instead

- Take your lunch to work and put an apple on your desk

- Never have a cigarette in the house or in the car

Look for creative ways to use your gumption to avoid that duel on Main Street in the first place.

Using willpower wisely strengthens it so that when you do have to face temptation directly, you’ll be able to walk away with a smile as you create a habit of success.

The transforming power of inner motivation

2011-05-27T10:56:00.002-07:00

In his recent bestselling book, Drive, Daniel Pink discusses how

incentives can actually block the results they are designed to achieve.

Studies show that the more we are motivated from outside forces, the

more we act in unethical and addictive ways. On the other hand, the

more our motivation comes from within, the happier and more honest

we become.

The last time that I was a guest lecturer in Professor Lhotka’s AWC

Comparative Religion class, we explored the question of motivation.

During the discussion, one student expressed a philosophy that gives

her a strong sense of purpose. I asked the class, “Can we adopt her

statement for ourselves?” There was lively dissent, focusing on the

students’ widely differing perspectives on life.

I suggested that as a group they try to develop a common purpose. In

two minutes there was consensus - “Life’s purpose is to help others

without hurting them and to do the same for oneself.”

The clarity of this statement created a significant effect on the students.

They began expressing honest concerns that their actions were not

consistent with their ideals, admitting that in their experience it seemed

easier to “do bad things than good.”

This classroom experience has direct application to addictions, which

persist because addictions sap the energy to close the gap between

one’s actions and one’s aspirations. As the students clarified their

purpose, they immediately had energy to examine their actions.

This is precisely what Pink’s studies showed – as one taps into one’s

internal motivation, one finds a strong desire to help others. As the

students demonstrated, this desire quickly evolves into an honest

evaluation of one’s actions and a desire to act more consistently with

one’s higher aspirations. What more can we ask for?

Getting enough vitamin X

2011-05-03T15:28:00.002-07:00

As essential as it is for good health, scientists have yet to be able to put vitamin X in a pill. It relieves depression, decreases diabetes and heart disease, increases energy, improves sleep, and keeps one slim. Maybe you have already guessed that Vitamin X is exercise! The next question is - how much Vitamin X do you need?

Studies have shown that 30 minutes of moderate exercise three times a week has major health benefits. Moderate exercise is defined as the level of exercise achieved by walking 90-100 steps per minute.

Would more exercise lead to greater benefits? Yes, more exercise leads to more benefits. But public health experts are concerned that advocating too much exercise will discourage people from even getting started. One practical answer to the exercise dilemma of “how much” is to adopt the following two-tiered approach;

Tier I - No matter what, commit to 30 minutes of exercise 3 times per week. If you need to work up to that level, use the next 6 weeks to get there.

Tier II – At the start of every month, decide whether you will go beyond 90 minutes of exercise per week. Then do whatever you can to reach this level, but if you fall short, that’s ok. However, don’t ever let your level of exercise fall below the Tier I minimum. Then when the next month begins, decide your new target level.

No one else but you can provide your Vitamin X. If you have had difficulty starting or maintaining an exercise program, try the 2-tier method. It is a great tool for success.

Getting started when it isn't easy

2011-04-25T10:56:00.003-07:00

About halfway through the Welcome and Celebration Rally, I was struck by the
immensity of the Healthy Yuma 2011 goal - not just the milepost goals of 140 tons of weight loss and 3 million miles walked - but the transformational goal of becoming a less addicted community.

At the rally, I talked with several people who had already made successful
transformations – alcoholics who had been sober for years; a healthcare
professional who made it through a major meth relapse; and two women who had each lost over 60 pounds. Two themes emerged: people wanted to share how good it feels to be clean and how deluded they had been under the spell of drugs, junk food, or alcohol.

Not one said that it had been easy, but they all realized that not a day went by
without knowing it was worth it. Besides feeling happier, they found relationships much more satisfying without the uppers, the downers, and the binges.

When asked what had been their “aha” moment, their answers were uniquely their own. However, despite the uniqueness, the conclusions were the same – “First I had to admit I had a problem, and then I needed to realize how much I wanted to change.”

Whether addiction has created major havoc in your life or your current challenge is the butter pecan ice cream in the fridge, positive change comes in the form of a question and a statement. The question to ask is, “What is a skillful action, right now?’ The statement is, “Then that’s what I’ll do.”

Our habits make this difficult, but what I learned from my new friends at the rally -it’s worth it.

The meat in the pictures from VegNews

2011-04-19T06:18:00.002-07:00

I usually try to stay away from the slings and arrows of the media du jour, but I feel compelled to weigh in on the recent blowup with the pictures at VegNews. Of course, I wish that they had used strictly vegan pictures. However, when compared to the problems arising from eating meat, the infraction seems minor.

What are the important facts to keep in mind?
- The obesogenic properties of meat are key factors making us fat
- The atherogenic properties of meat are major risk factors for heart attacks, stroke, and impotence
- The carcinogenic properties of meat are major risk factors in colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, leukemia and multiple myeloma
- The antibiotics fed to animals cause widespread antibiotic resistance
- The hormones given to animals are ingested with the meat and milk, causing an increased risk in breast cancer and early sexual maturity in girls
- Well over 90% of the 10 billion animals slaughtered annually in the U.S. lived under horrific factory farm conditions
- Animal agriculture is the largest contributor to water pollution
- Animal agriculture produces a staggering 300 tons of untreated animal manure in the U.S. per year, a huge environmental and health issue

The magnitude of these issues and our ability as a society to sweep them under the rug is mind-boggling. Showing pictures of dishes with meat in them next to recipes that have no meat is disingenuous, but the outrage seems overdone. Where is the outrage when photos of burgers are enhanced with shoe polish or mashed potatoes act as stand-ins for ice cream that doesn't melt on camera? (If anyone knows the answer to this dichotomy, please let me know.)

For over a decade VegNews has promoted an appealing lifestyle with a conscience that is compatible with healthier lives and a healthier planet. On balance, major kudos to them! I for one will remain a loyal subscriber.

Expressly yours,

The guaranteed “apple a day” diet

2011-04-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

A medium sized apple has only 95 calories and is loaded with restorative
phytonutrients. A recent European study found that those eating more than an apple
a day cut their risk of colon cancer in half. Not only that, an apple can teach us how
to better understand our hunger cues.

Most of us have had the experience of digging into a high calorie snack even though
we weren’t hungry. The high fat, high salt, and high sugar stuff goes down easy.
Since junk food bypasses our satiety cues, we keep on eating - whether we are
hungry or not.

Unlike junk food, an apple triggers natural hunger awareness:

* First, if you aren’t hungry, an apple doesn’t sound so good. Do you think food
scientists are designing products that someone eats only when they’re hungry?”

* However, if you are hungry, an apple sounds great.

*And then, when eating an apple, the mix of fiber and nutrients triggers our satiety
mechanism so that even after just 100 calories, we feel fuller.

An apple can also tell you how tuned-in you are to your appetite system. If an apple
never sounds good, the chances are you aren’t tuned in at all, because your system
has crashed from an addiction to fat, sugar, and salt.

So how does the apple diet work? Bring an apple to work and place it on your desk.
If you have an urge for one of the donuts in the break room, look at your apple and
ask, “Am I hungry, or not? If not, skip the donut. If you are, eat the apple.”

Remembering a higher purpose

2011-04-01T08:49:00.002-07:00

Recently I was a guest speaker at the Church of Spiritual Living. At the
last minute, I was asked to address the children before they left the service
for Sunday school. I was still looking for what to say as their curious eyes
peered up at me in the front of the sanctuary.

“I have a very serious matter to talk about with you today. On behalf of all
the adults here, I am asking for your forgiveness. I would like you to forgive
us for contributing to a world which encourages children to become obese.”

I am not sure who was more surprised by my words, the children or me.
They became quite still, intently pondering my request.

After a few moments of silence, I went on. “ By the compassion I see in
your eyes, it is clear that you have forgiven us. Thank you.” It was a magic
moment as the children realized their true feelings had been understood.
In the few minutes left, the children eagerly expressed their rather mature
understanding of forgiveness.

The children energized and inspired the congregation that day. The moment
reminded us that we are indeed responsible for the culture that shapes our
children’ s lives. This can happen in so many ways. Every time one passes
up a donut and instead chooses an apple, one not only helps your own
health, but the health of the community.

Contemplating how our choices affect everyone around us adds purpose and
gives added meaning to our lives. Realizing this also gives us the gumption-
to do the right thing.

If you want to be successful in making better choices, remind yourself every
day that your positive actions benefits everyone.

Learn From Weight Loss Experts

2011-03-22T07:52:00.002-07:00

Despite the fact that Americans spend $50 billion per year on weight
loss, the rate of obesity continues upward at an epidemic pace.

But there are people that have bucked the trend, trading in their obesity
for a lifetime of fitness. How do they do it? What can we learn from
these successful dieters?

Researchers at the National Weight Loss Registry monitor over 4000
dieters who had kept off the weight for years. Here are their top five
keys to success.

#5. Avoid temptation - Successful dieters have learned not to rely
on will power alone. We all tend to overestimate our ability to resist
temptations. So they developed routines to avoid situations that would
challenge their willpower, such as never shopping without a list and
always taking a healthy lunch to work.

#4. Follow a consistent eating pattern – Compared with unsuccessful
dieters, those that succeed always ate a healthy breakfast. They also
kept the same eating habits not only Monday through Friday, but also on
the weekends.

#3. Monitor weight at least once per week – Just as important is to
have a specific plan of action when the weight goes up.

#2. Exercise – Physical activity is a priority in 9 out of 10 successful
dieters. Walking was by far the most frequent exercise, although
anything aerobic on a regular basis works. Adding muscle-building
exercises also helps, increasing the calories one burns 24/7.

So, what was the most common characteristic of successful dieters?

#1. They changed what they ate. 98% of successful dieters said they
switched to healthier, more nutritious foods - eating less sugar and
loads of fruits, veggies, and beans.

If you want to be successful, follow these five tips from the weight-loss
pros.

Be a giver to get healthy

2011-03-15T08:21:00.004-07:00

When researchers looked at older adults who had volunteered in a program
to help inner-city schools, they discovered a key to healthy living.

By helping children, the volunteers dramatically improved their energy level
and memory, and decreased their level of chronic pain. Even their sense of
balance had improved. The findings documented - by helping others we help
ourselves.

In his book “ Why Good Things Happen to Good People,” Stephen Post
documents other examples of the benefits giving. He describes the feeling of
a “ giver’ s high” as well as other boons – not only physical, but also mental
and financial - received by givers.

But this also works in reverse – ‘ Get Healthy to be a Giver’ . The
Framingham Study showed that if someone recently gained weight, the
odds of their friends and family gaining weight in the next twelve months
increased significantly. So, when people maintain a normal weight, they
help both friends and family stay fit as well. We are all part of a tightly
integrated community, which works either to promote health, or, as in the
case of the obesity epidemic, to decrease it.

We have an exciting opportunity with Healthy Yuma 2011 to become part
of a community network to give the gift of health. Whether helping others
reach their exercise goals or doing volunteer work, the benefits
accrue to the entire community. Resolve to become more of a giver in 2011,
and the universe will raise its glass and proclaim, “ Here’ s to your health!
For more info about Healthy Yuma 2011 click here

Want to succeed? Write down your goals.

2011-03-01T09:06:00.002-07:00

Success gurus all agree on the importance of writing down goals. They
also stress the importance of daily review, each day visualizing how
good it will feel when success is achieved.

What is so compelling about written goals? The answer is best
understood by examining the way our brains work. The majority of
the brain’s function happens at a subconscious level. Our subconscious
constantly reworks our neural networks, integrating “high priority”
items into what we think and what we do. Unfortunately, “high priority”
to our subconscious is often not what we truly value.

The input that gets stamped “high priority” depends on three things
– repetition, emotions, and our senses. Advertisers are masters of the
subconscious. That is why we hear ads over and over, see so many
suggestive models, and have jingles jangling in our heads. Repetition,
emotion, and an appeal to our senses – the next thing we know we
are buying the product. We are not even conscious that we have been
Hoodwinked … that’s the point!

We should be just as careful in orienting our own subconscious as
the advertisers who want us to buy their products. By writing down
goals, reading them daily, and imagining what success will feel like, one
stamps “high priority” in the subconscious, and our mind will work 24/
7 to reach our goals. It’s that simple.

You can add your own healthy lifestyle goals at Healthyyuma2011.com
or on the Healthy Yuma 2011 Facebook page and then visualize a new
you!

Who Needs Healthier Food?

2011-02-14T08:35:00.001-07:00

'Eat less,' U.S. says, but fast-food chains super-size their offerings” - LA Times

Honesty is appreciated wherever one finds it. In a recent LA Times article, Sharon Bernstein focuses on the wide gap between official nutrition recommendations and what sells. The following statement from a fast-food executive quoted in her article tells it like it is.

"The bottom line is that we're in the business of making money, and we make money off of what we sell," said Beth Mansfield, spokeswoman for CKE Restaurants Inc., which owns the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's chains. "If we wanted to listen to the food police and sell nuts and berries and tofu burgers, we wouldn't make any money and we'd be out of business."

She is right, ignoring the longer-term results of junk food is a great way to make money. Connecting the dots between skyrocketing medical costs and fat children, diabetes, and heart disease is unlikely to happen when someone is just looking for a quick and tasty bite to eat.

At Nature’s Express we are designed to maximize purpose, not profits. We serve less toxic food because we believe the world will be a better place the more we are fit and healthy instead of fat and unhealthy. Money is necessary for our business to grow, but no way is it the reason we’re in business.

Beth makes a good point. People choose which businesses will survive and which won’t. So far it is no contest - the high fat, high sugar, and high calorie choices are winning hands down.

In 1900 people said, “Who needs a horseless carriage?” In 1970 IBM execs said, ”Who needs a computer?”

Perhaps in 2030 (with heart disease, diabetes, and obesity uncommon) we will look back at 2011 and laugh – “Who needs healthier food?”

Stay tuned.

Carl (not Jr.)

Principle #4 – Look for chances to do your daily “Habit Push-Ups”

2011-02-08T14:47:00.002-07:00

We all know that without exercise, we get flabby. However, it is just as true that when we procrastinate, we get lazy.
Every action one takes makes it a bit more likely that we will take a similar action in the future. So, when one chooses potato chips over an apple or sleeping in rather than taking a morning walk, a pattern forms that makes it a bit less likely that we’ll choose wisely in the future.
Why don’t we naturally do what is in our own best interest?
The answer lies in our tendency to grab onto the short-term pleasures while forgetting the longer-term pain. For instance, if faced with a donut, we might ignore the unavoidable flab deposit and choose the immediate sugar hit. Such actions weaken our chances of making good decisions in the future.
Just as doing push-ups today makes us stronger tomorrow, resisting the donuts today strengthens our capacity to make better decisions tomorrow.
Every day, look for opportunities to make Principle #4 work in your life. Take the ten minutes to clean your desk, make that phone call that you keep putting off, or even find the opportunity to apologize after making a mistake – acting on these opportunities now will make skillful actions routine in the future.
Look for opportunities for “habit pushups” and you can quickly make your life healthier and more fulfilling.

2011-02-03T08:04:00.002-07:00

How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions?
February is upon us! Here is some motivation to sticking with your health goals.

Principle #3 – New Year’s Resolutions – 8 Steps to Setting Successful Goals
New Year’s Resolutions often fail. You’ve heard the quip, “The only New Year’s resolution I’ve ever kept is not to make any more resolutions!” How does one design one’s goals for success instead of frustration?
Here are the top eight tips from the experts:

Number 1 - Set aside a whole weekend in January, after the hustle and bustle of the holidays, to work on goals. Take plenty of time to reflect on what is truly important to you. Life trainers stress the importance of aligning one’s goals with one’s ideals.

Number 2 – Choose at least one goal in each of the main areas of your life (family, work, your health, recreation), remembering the importance of a balanced life.

Number 3 – Remember that consistent progress over time creates significant changes before you know it. Five pounds per month leads to a sixty-pound weight loss in a year!
 Number 4 - Learn to fail quickly. Plan on making any slip-up an automatic motivational tool to get right back on track.

Number 5 - Adjust your life to support goal success. If your current friends do not support you in your goals, consider adding a few new friends.

Number 6 - Learn to celebrate successes in creative, novel ways. Celebrating with cake, cookies, or chocolate is self-defeating.

Number 7 - Stick to your guns: Habits can be adopted in a few weeks, but incorporating these changes into your very identity- takes longer.

Finally, and perhaps the most important, number 8 … develop an “I can learn from that” attitude. Tell yourself this 100 times a day, after each small success or disappointment --now that’s a lesson I can learn from.

Follow these eight tips closely, and you just might find how rewarding it is to reach your goals.

Principle #2 – Breaking old habits by squarely facing the truth

2011-01-29T10:24:00.001-07:00

Like most of us, my friend Jane (not her real name) has more than a little weight to lose. She is quite competent at her profession, and people know her as someone you can go to when you need help.
But Jane recently confided to me that cheese was her downfall. She went on in detail, lovingly describing all the kinds of cheeses that she could just not live without. She might be an organizational wizard at work, but when it came to cheese, she was powerless.
From other discussions, I knew how much Jane wanted to be fit and healthy. She knew the facts; cheese is high in calories and high in saturated fat. With her family history of high blood pressure, she had a concern about the high salt content, as well.
How might Jane address her dilemma?
Here is where the magic of principle # 2 works, right at the point where it seems impossible to change. Squarely facing the truth creates a positive energy that leads to lasting life-changes.
There are three steps to tap into this potential:
- First, clearly assess your reality as it is now
- Next, imagine the future exactly as you want it to be
- And finally, don’t fudge. Let the tension build between the way things are and the future you envision.
For Jane, the reality is putting cheese on everything is just not healthy. Her “vision for the future” is a healthy weight and more energy. If she clearly keeps both in mind, her subconscious will work on giving Jane the roadmap for successful change.
If you are seeking to creatively approach old problems with new solutions, I suggest the book, Path of Least Resistance, by Roger Fritz. It is an inspirational read that can bring the magic of “squarely facing your truths” to your life.

2011-01-27T20:02:00.002-07:00

100 SECRETS FOR A LIFETIME OF HEALTH - New healthier lifestyle series
Our vision for Healthy Yuma 2011 is to cultivate the seeds that will create lifetimes of good health.
Our mission is to have 365 days of community support for the individuals in Yuma County who choose to take the steps to be healthier in 2011.
Throughout the year, “Healthy Yuma 2011” will present a series of Principles for Healthy Living. We will sift through the latest medical science, the practical advice from life coaches, as well as the world’s wisdom literature to present clear principles, which if followed will lead to healthier, more fulfilling lives.
100 Secrets; Get the Whole Story for Health.

Principle #1 - Be ready to learn new things about making healthier lifestyle choices
It may be obvious, but just learning about healthier lifestyles may be the most important step to improving one’s health. Before making effective changes, one needs to know the facts.
Unfortunately, the data shows that we know less about healthy options than we think we do.
A recent study on children’s nutrition showed that parents significantly overestimated the nutrition value of what their children ate. Over 80% of the parents thought that their kids ate a healthy diet, but about 80% were eating a diet that did not meet nutritional guidelines. This research shows the importance of staying open to learning.
My own running program is a good example. Twenty-five years ago, I ran road races - I never won anything, but running was always my favorite form of exercise. However, I gave it up because of frequent injuries.
I recently read the book, “Running Until You’re 100” and found out that all my injuries were the result of my own ignorance about how to train without getting injured. I am back running, training smarter, now that I know how, and enjoying it immensely.
Inspirational gurus all stress the love of learning as a key to successful lives –not only in health choices, but also in relationships and business. Open up to learning new things and enjoying a new you and a new life will not be far behind!

Healthy Yuma 2011 - A Remedy for an Ailing America

2011-01-01T12:31:00.006-07:00

Employers, local government, media, and even the local Walmarts have joined forces in Yuma County, Arizona, to support individuals who plan to adopt healthier lifestyles. HY-2011 focuses on decreasing obesity, improving nutrition, increasing exercise, and decreasing addiction to smoking, alcohol, and street drugs. The following excerpt from the core story of HY-2011 outlines the motivation for these efforts -

"Healthy citizens are the foundation of a healthy society. However, obesity, malnutrition, sedentary lifestyles and addiction have become too much the American norm.

Our forefathers created a system of governance that shaped America into the predominant economic driver of the 20th century. Our standard of living rose five-fold, giving us the economic prosperity to help rebuild Europe and Japan even after incurring the tremendous costs of WWII. Our strong economic momentum continued, providing the foundation for triumph in the Cold War.

However, our prosperity is in jeopardy. Healthcare costs have been rising faster than inflation for 50 years. The aging population adds further fuel to these escalating costs, as does the staggering burden of unhealthy lifestyles. Obesity, caused by a poor diet and sedentary habits, is an epidemic that we can ill afford. Our food supply has evolved from nutritious whole foods to high fat, high sugar and highly processed but well-advertised junk. Malnutrition is often no longer the lack of food but the result of an abundance of high caloric food with little nutritional value.

Neither our healthcare system nor our government has been successful in improving lifestyle choices, resulting in the first American generation that is experiencing a decline in quality of life. This has occurred despite spending twice as much on healthcare per person as other developed countries. These issues, on top of a high level of public and private debt, create an unstable future.

Healthy Yuma 2011 is designed to successfully address these challenges by creating positive momentum through the integration of multiple local efforts."

The two founding institutions are the Yuma Regional Medical Center and the Yuma Sun newspaper. Since 50% of healthcare costs can be attributed to unhealthy lifestyle choices, local efforts such as HY-2011 might be just what the doctors haven't been able to order.

Expressly yours,

Superbugs in our meat

2010-11-30T11:12:00.010-07:00

“Listen, my friends and you will hear,

A story more alarming than Paul Revere!”

How many of you would eat food laced with feces?

For those of you that say, “hell no!” the Center for Disease Control and others have tested the bacterial prevalence (and likely fecal contamination) of meat from grocery stores. This is what they found:

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, (MRSA) is an antibiotic resistant superbug that since 2005 has killed more Americans than AIDS. MRSA was found in 5% of meat tested. When anyone walks into a patient’s hospital room with this infection, they are required to put on a gown and gloves for protection!

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) was found in 40% of chicken breasts – C. diff is another superbug – grill the chicken for an hour and it can still be there. C. diff frequently causes severe diarrhea in those over 65 or after taking antibiotics.

E-Coli was found in 70% of samples. The strain of E. Coli that most frequently causes bladder infection in women is traced to the most common strain in chickens. Anecdotally, I was talking about this to a friend yesterday who responded, “We wondered why my wife’s urinary tract infections stopped. Now I know, we stopped eating chicken the same month!

In fact, meat is so contaminated that the cutting board in a meat-eater’s kitchen may well be more contaminated than their toilet.

So, if you know your s--- from Shinola, you will never touch meat again without gloving up. And, if for nothing more than the infection risk, you might consider cutting meat out of your diet as well.

Have a good week!

Expressly yours,