Interesting..

From http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29955927/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

Proponents say:
HFCS contains mercury.

The verdict: Nearly half of the 20 HFCS samples tested in a recent study contained small amounts of potentially harmful mercury, according to a report in Environmental Health. While the Corn Refiners Association argues that the research was based on outdated information, another study by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy found that one-third of all HFCS-containing foods it bought in the fall of 2008 tested positive for the toxin. The researchers believe that HFCS is probably the source: A compound known as caustic soda, which is used to separate the corn starch from the kernel, can be tainted with mercury, and there's no way for you to know whether the caustic soda used was contaminated, according to study author David Wallinga, MD. Although much of the US production of caustic soda uses mercury-free technology, not all manufacturers worldwide have followed suit, adding fuel to the argument for minimizing HFCS intake.

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

As toxins and foreign proteins are being flushed out of my body, I begin to notice subtle changes in my body after I eat food. Example: I have recently discovered that after I eat sugary foods (cookies, brownies and the like) I feel awful. Not only is the effect physical but mentally and emotionally I feel depressed and sluggish. It was so much so that I have really considered just nixing sweets. I LOVE chocolate, like any normal female should, but I need to just keep a couple dark-chocolate bars in the pantry and break off a small piece when I want my chocolate fix. I used to do that but with all of the enticing vegan sweets recipes that I come across, I can't help but try them out.

However, my mental and emotional health is very necessary for my life, especially as finals are soon, so I will be giving up those sweet treats for a while.

The same effect happens when I over-eat. Obviously, over-eating is really awful. It's all about how you are perceiving food though. Food is fuel. It's nourishment and thankfully it's yummy too! But, we have to keep in mind that we are fortunate enough as Americans to have food security and the food will be there an couple hours later when we are hungry again. We have every day to eat new food.

So, a couple of my recent goals are to really work on eating until 80% full as recommended in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and also to cut down on the sweets for my mental state.

Have you ever?

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going?

But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

Raw Detox

Okay, so since I'm always interested in new ways to enhance my lifestyle and be healthier, I picked up the book Raw Diet Detox last week. The main idea of the detox is to eat foods in a way that will stimulate quick elimination from the body, since this is the best way to prevent toxification and promote detoxification. So, for the new little while I'm going to try out this new diet/lifestyle. The motto of the book is "Waste=Weight" so the more nutrition that you flood your body with, the more toxic chemicals will be released from the tissues that have been stored there. This is where the waste comes from and as this waste is eliminated, you lose weight.

So, as my pre-summer weight-loss program, I will be putting this diet into effect tomorrow, in addition to some exercise because I am OUT OF SHAPE! It's pretty sad.

So let the detox and the weight loss begin!

Answers

So, I know that high-fructose corn syrup is awful for the body but after being asked why the other day I was stumped. I stumbled upon this article today about lowering cholesterol and it has some interesting facts in simple terms about the effects of HFCS, refined table sugar, white flour, and stress. It's pretty interesting. I really want to get back into the research mode and really find some good studies about the mechanisms and effects of these factors on other aspects of health, not just cholesterol.

Chocolate Overload

Okay, so I know that I said after my fast I was going to focus on not baking so much, but my beautiful friend Jesse that I coach volleyball with ran a half marathon yesterday ending her four month training sweets fast. So, to celebrate, I spent all of yesterday evening making cookies, brownies, blondies, and coconut chocolate candy... eating a little here and there along the way.

I didn't just eat chocolate yesterday though. I made a delicious enchilada, which is the only recipe that I've repeated in a long time. I really try to eat different foods and make different recipes as often as possible. It's healthier and way more exciting. My favorite part about my relatively new new diet is the opportunity to try new things.

Anywho, I also made some awesome chimichangas this week that I liked better the second time around since I used an avocado sauce on top.

Yesterday was a beautifully hot day and definitely was the inspiration behind the enchiladas (and I had all of the ingredients on hand). I sat by the pool a little bit in my bathing suit and realized it is definitely time to get back into running.

My goal is to run at least 3 times a week from now on, especially since the weather is getting better. I have a little accountability to just give me that extra motivation to get moving. So, good bye love handles and flabby thighs!

So, in my quest to look a little better in my bathing suit I'm going to work harder on being more active and eat a little lighter for the month of April. Tomorrow will be day one of my getting fit for bathing suit season regimen. : ]