Is sugar good for us?

When you think “sugar,” you probably think “yum!” Because it’s so sweet, lots of adults and kids like sugar and sugary foods. But what exactly is sugar, and why is it considered as one of the most toxic substances to the human body??

We are all surrounded with sugary food everywhere, it’s in bread, tomato sauce even in baby food…

We have to distinguish between naturally acquiring sugar and the Refined Drug.

The natural sugar comes from fruit, vegetables and grains. This food is a packed with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber which help the body to digest the sugar from it.

To digest the refined drug your body actually uses its own vitamins and minerals. It gives you blood sugar cravings, highs, hyperactivity, excitability, nervous and anxious tension which bring you all the way down to unbelievable mood swings, fatigue, exhaustion and might lead to chronic depression.

What else does that “sweet and tasty evil” do to your body?

- Sugar makes us fat, ugly and depressed,

- Gives you headaches,

- Memory loss

- It makes your skin dry and your hair dull.

The list is endless.

Ok, now you’ve decided you don’t want any more sugar in your life. Well, there are many alternative sugar free products, eating these instead – solves the problem. WRONG!

The commercials do a good job convincing us that all that diet coke sugar free and low calorie products so great and absolutely safe. WRONG!

There are three most known sugar substitutes:

1. Aspartame - Artificial Diet Sweetener (sold as "Nutrasweet," "Equal," and "Spoonful") is over 200 times sweeter than sugar, it's a common ingredient found in "diet" foods and has become a sweetening staple for dieters. Besides being totally poison, aspartame actually contributes to weight gain by causing a craving for carbohydrates.

2. Splenda – is another Artificial Sugar substitute. Did you know that the main ingredient is CHLORINE?

According to the study from Duke University, Splenda “suppresses beneficial bacteria and directly affects the expression of the transporter P-gp and cytochrome P-450 isozymes that are known to interfere with the bioavailability of drugs and nutrients

3. Stevia and sorbitol — natural alternatives to artificial sweeteners.

These chemicals known as neurotoxins – they go to our brains and physically change the brain’s chemistry to make us crave more food …

These are natural sweeteners that do not trigger an insulin reaction. (Xylitol can be derived from birch tree pulp.) They have half the calories of sugar and are not digested by the small intestine.

While most polyalcohol sugars have no side effects, sorbitol is a natural laxative and can cause diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, bloating and flatulence.Open your eyes to how much you are poisoning your body and your mind when you give in to the sweet tooth craving!

Top Toxins to the human body

Hi All,

Over the course of the coming months we will elaborate and continue this topic of discussion.

I'm sure at this stage, you all have a relatively good idea of the "why's" behind the approach of the Ph Diet.

This brief post is going to identify the top 4 toxic substances our bodies are exposed to on a daily basis. Then over the coming months I will elaborate on this thread of posts, providing additional and informative information on these top 4 toxins.

So what are they...

Toxic invader # 1 = SUGAR

Despite what the mainstream media and food marketeers would like us to believe, SUGAR is not an innocent substance that gives us pleasure and cause no harm. Quite the contary, but more about this later...

Toxic invader # 2 = PARASITES

After SUGAR, PARASITES are the second toxic invader that we must try to eliminate from our bodies. Many of these uninvited guests come from our sugar intake, so by making an effort to remove sugar from your diet, you also begin to remove some parasites. Parasites are an unsuspected source of many

baffling symptoms ranging from chronic fatigue and IBS to overweight and even underweight as well as diarrhea and constipation, but more about this later.

Toxic invader # 3 = HEAVY METALS

Aluminum, Antimony, Arsenic, Cadmium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, seleniuive sinm, silver, vanadium to Zinc, these are all classified as heavy metals. Getting rid of SUGAR & PARASITES is in some ways easier than freeing ourselves from heavy metals. With the likes of Aluminum, lead, mercury & copper being so pervasive since the 20th century - it is almost impossible to figure out which metal is to blame for one's ill health. But more about this later.

Toxic invader # 4 = RADIATION

In many respects, radiation is the greatest contaminant in the world. It cannot be seen, felt or heard. It is tasteless and odorless. it is found

in our food and in our air, it is in our blood and in our bones and can remain in our ashes to go on to contaminate someone else. today more than ever before we are increasingly coming in contact with this toxin and quite simply put... when these particles get into our bodies via air, water or food - they destroy tissues, organs, cells and genes, shortening our life span. But more about this later.

So they you have the top 4, now that you have been introduced... I suggest you start researching and trying to educate yourselves about these 4 Toxins.

If that is not you, then stay tuned and I will continue to post and discuss these four toxins in further detail.

Remember, you can stay young and healthy in this toxic world, but you must want to!

The Gym Team!

CHANGE YOUR BRAIN LOSE FAT

Getting healthy and fit takes practice. More so than you think.

Did you know that bit of gray matter between your ears is the mother ship guiding your decisions, rationale, subconscious, will-power? You name - it steers it.

Each time you succumb to temptation and a lack of will power you condition your brain to repeat this pattern. It is something that brain specialist Daniel Amen alludes to in his book “Change Your Brain, Change your Body”.

On the flip side, each time you say 'no' or 'I have had plenty thank you' you reinforce this pattern. Sooner or later the brain knows exactly what to do.

This habitual practice can extend in so many ways and something you should be aware of as you take a step towards a healthier and fitter you.

It is one of the reasons why I don't recommend moderation. Each time you give yourself an excuse to shy away from that promise you made to yourself and succumb you practice failure.

Do something whole hog for 12 weeks and assess where you are then. I guarantee you will be in a much better place.

In our centre we align individual’s weak links with a set of new habits to head away and practice with. Day in day out you practice health.

Sure, practice one thing at a time but do it 100%. If you set the rule that you are eliminating grains and refined cereal from now on, that's it. Each time you are swayed and a difficult decision comes along you need to practice will-power. It takes practice.

If you set the rule that you will exercise 3 times and week again, you don’t shy away from training if it is raining or you forgot your clothes. You dig in and find a way.

Each time you stick to the rules you make it infinitely easier to draw upon this little bit of inner strength in the future.

It carries over too. That bit of work you said you would complete suddenly gets done. Or that business you thought about starting suddenly starts rolling. Or that letter you were going to write to your long lost Aunt is written. All of the deadwood circulating in the mind gets done as your self-control and level of will-power heightens.

Of course there are some strategies that you can deploy to heighten your will-power and ability to practice effortlessly and without much strain.

1. These include getting in the habit of exercising. Even a simple walk will heighten the activity in certain areas of the brain leading to more rational decisions being made.

2. Staying hydrated will ensure that water, the brain’s most precious nutrient, is found in abundance leading to optimum functioning.

3. Taking an Omega 3 supplement in the form of pharmacy grade fish oil will ensure that the brain also receives its crucial form of good fats. If you were to wring out the brain, its dry weight would consist of 60% fat. So for all of you fat-phobias out there, listen up! Stop it! You are starving your brain!

4. Cut the bad fats and up your good fats in the form of fish oil, avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds.

5. The brain robbers, sugar and caffeine all do a great job at placing a burden on the brain by acting as a stimulant. Adenosine is a chemical in the brain. It tricks the brain into feeling drowsy and stimulates sleep so that we can recharge our brains. Caffeine blocks the effects of adenosine by occupying the adenosine receptor sites and preventing the brain from seeing it. So even if you are tired and are in need of sleep to rejuvenate your brain chemistry, caffeine tricks the brain into thinking it is wide awake.

Respect your brain and the mother ship will steer you into good health.

The Gym Team.

The link between PH, Health and Fat Loss

Friend, pH is a chemistry term that describes whether something is acidic or basic (alkaline). It's based on a scale from 1-14. 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most basic. The middle is neutral at pH 7. This is an important number, since your body happens to function most optimally at pH 7. In fact, you can only survive within a very strict range of pH 7.

Thankfully, your body has many built in mechanisms to ensure that the pH level doesn't ever veer too much. However, it's always best to keep as much strain off of your body as possible to ensure that it keeps functioning optimally.

One way to do so is by eating a well balanced diet. Now, all foods have an acidic or basic value. All proteins (meats, poultry, fish and dairy) and refined carbs (ESPECIALLY grains) are acidic foods, whereas all unrefined carbs, which are your fruits and vegetables are basic and most fats are neutral.

Since proteins are essential in your diet, these are acidic foods that are necessary and it's easy to balance them out by eating enough fruits and vegetables.
Where you can get into trouble is when you consume refined carbs - especially grains like breads, pasta, rice and all packaged snacks such as chips, cookies, crackers and so on. These foods are highly acidic not to mention packed with sugar and calories and do nothing for your weight loss endeavors. Another food you should try to avoid is cheese. I know it's delicious, but it's also highly acidic and dense in calories.
Avoiding these highly acidic foods will give your body a break from having to use its own vital organs and bone minerals to neutralize the acidic foods. The less your body has to expend energy and nutrients on keeping your body functioning, the more energy it has to enhance metabolic processes that helps you recover faster, burn more fat and build lean muscles quicker.
So to optimize your body's functions stick to eating natural whole foods. Eat plenty of protein and balance it out by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. You really can't eat enough greens...ever! This is one case where more is better. And don't forget to throw in some healthy fats in the mix to balance it all out.
The great thing is the way you need to eat to maintain an optimal pH level in your body also happens to be the best way to maximize your health and weight loss as well! Coincidence? I think not.

Keep the balance!

The gym team.