Toxicity

What are you passionate about? What gets you excited?

On Saturday night, Dr. Sanja Gupta had a special on CNN called Toxic Childhood. The fact that one of the most respected medical doctors in the world spoke about a subject that affected me so personally (see previous blog for My Story) was incredible.

When was the last time you had that feeling in your gut and you knew with ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY what you are meant to do. My passion is speaking and educating. It is empowering people with information that has been hidden for so long. It is telling people who have lost hope that they can get better.

Chemical toxicity has been a missing puzzle piece in 21^st century medicine. There is no denying this is a serious issue. New millennium diseases like add, adhd, autism, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, allergies, autoimmune diseases and chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are rampant in our country. More technology, testing, hospitals, doctors, nurses, and medication are not solving the underlying issues of poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and chemical toxicity.

This month, I am going to be focusing on the topic of TOXICTY and how it affects weight loss and increases your risk of cancer and other diseases. Most information will be taken from Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk, an annual report presented by the President’s Cancer Panel.

Super Foods: Protein

Lets focus on protein this week. You need to eat your body weight in grams per day. Protein keeps you full longer, and helps you snack less. The more protein in your diet the less you will crave sugar.

Eat LOCAL FRESH FOOD whenever possible. Shop at Farmer’s Markets and utilize local farms for fresh eggs, meat, and produce.

OPTIMAL PROTEIN CHOICES:

• Organic Free-Range Eggs

• Organic/Hormone-Free Chicken and Poultry

• Organic Grass-fed Beef (http://www.andersonfarm.us/)

• Grass-fed deli meat, hot dogs, bacon (http://www.andersonfarm.us/)

• Buffalo (www.buffalogal.com)

• Lamb

• Cold Water Fish (salmon, halibut, cod, mackerel, tuna - choose wild ocean fish over farm raised fish)

• Whey protein

◦ Whey Cool (www.designsforhealth.com)

◦ Gold Standard Natural Whey

◦ Peanut butter (Trader Joe’s crunchy)

◦ Almond butter (Trader Joe’s crunchy)

◦ Organic cottage cheese (Organic Valley)

My Personal Story

I was a long distance runner in high school and in college, so at 5'4" it was easy for me to maintain 110 lbs. I competed at a national level in cross country in college. I started chiropractic school when my daughter, McKenna was 3 months old and after about a year started experiencing symptoms I had never had before. I was getting frequent migraines, was constantly tired, and started to gain weight for no reason. Nothing had changed. I was still exercising the same amount and eating healthy. I gained about 20 lbs in a couple of months and constantly felt tired and foggy. My migraines kept getting worse and nothing was helping. I saw chiropractors, mds, naturopaths, acupuncturists... you name it, I tried it. Then, I met an amazing chiropractor who specialized in neurotoxicity at a seminar. He told me I needed to be checked for heavy metals and bio toxins. I had no idea what he was talking about, but would have tried anything at that point. He explained that neurotoxina like heavy metals and bio toxins affect fat burning hormones like Leptin and increase inflammation in the body. Leptin is a hormone that tells your body to burn fat for energy and also tells you how full you are. If Leptin is off because of chronic exposure to toxins, weight loss resistance is the result. AKA: You don't lose weight even when dieting and exercising.

The question I had was, how come no one knows about this? I had every test done under the sun, hormone tests, thyroid tests, blood work and nothing came back. No one had any answers for me! He explained that conventional testing is missing the boat on toxic exposure because they aren't testing the right hormones and aren't looking at chronic exposure to metals. Finally, some attention has been paid to toxicity issues, as Dr. Sonjay Gupta, MD on CNN did a special report called Toxic America in June exposing the much-anticipated possible link between toxins and our health.

I was tested and found my Leptin levels were off, along with an increase body burden of heavy metals and biotoxins (which are live toxins from mold). My daughter and I were living in black mold in my apartment in school and didn't even know it. She was developing stomach pains and allergies as well as food sensitivities.

Shortly after starting the detox program, the weight came off. I had more energy, more clarity and focus, and felt like myself again. I ate a diet that is specifically designed to change Leptin so I no longer crave sugar or feel like I'm starving! My secret is I started training less, NOT MORE. I do eccentric resistance training 2x a week and high intensity cardio 3-4x a week. My body fat has changed drastically, which is the true measurement we want to pay attention to.

I want to inspire others to feel good, have a positive body image, and role model a healthy lifestyle for their children.

My energy comes from having a purpose. Every morning I get up excited to share what I've learned with as many people as possible. I have a vision board and goals that I look at daily. I also remind myself to be thankful. Muhammad Ali said, "Don't count the days, make the days count." I ask myself at the end of the day, what did I contribute today? How did I make a positive impact on someone's life today? Was I my best in every situation? We all have a story..... what's great is that we can choose today to make our life what we've always imagined.