Have you had enough fruits and vegetables this week?

The month of June has flown by and it all felt a bit like Ground Hog day, it was a funky month and all the days and nights seemed to roll into one and every weekend seemed to be full of cookouts and cook "ins" with spurts of rain and moments of sun to cool and warm us throughout the day. It was definitely a month for "layers" and the weather peeps sure had their hands full with forecasting. "Its raining, no wait it's 80 degrees and sunny no wait its hailing, no wait I see a thunderstorm ahead". All that forecasting sounded plain exhausting, let alone all the "products" I had to pull out to defrizz and plump my hair. It was a month of some very exciting events though. In the beginning of the month I was fortunate to see Dr. Mitra Ray talk about the "Science of Nutrition" and how certain foods respond or react with our bodies and then Dr. Benitez came to Newburyport to talk about the "Recipe for Great Health". In addition, Dr. Jennah's Wellness Workshop Series presented on "Why do I feel so Lousy and What Can I do about it?" and "5 Secrets to Extraordinary Health" along with the Grand Re-Opening and Health Fair this past weekend. It was a time to really connect with my own health as well as the community's health as a whole. There were several times when I wanted to speak with folks about what they eat or what type of nutritional supplements they take. I know in our busy, hectic lives we simply do not get enough fruits and vegetables in our diet and I have found a way that has helped me bridge that gap. I have been taking Juice Plus+ for almost two months and already I feel a significant change. I am noticing that I am craving less sugar and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables along the way. It has helped me tremendously in my Zumba class, (which by the way if you ever want to take a Zumba class in the Andover, MA area, visit www.Zumbadancewwithamy.com and tell her that Stephanie referred you, she offers a free intro class and you will love it!) I have been able to sustain the energy I need in the class and recoup better after the class as well. I know this is will take me a little more time but I can feel a wonderful change already and I am so excited to be getting back in shape and enjoying the outdoors again. Now if only it could stay sunny one weekend, I could try out my new TYR swimsuit diggs and show off my crazy free stroke. To learn more about Juice Plus+ feel free to view this video and see why I connected to this whole food nutrition.

The Recipe for Great Health- Choosing the Right Ingredients

This past Thursday night at the beautiful Firehouse Theater Arts in Newburyport, MA; I had the privilege to be part of this informative Prevention Plus presentation with Dr. Pamela Benitez; a breast care surgeon at the Rose Cancer Center of William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI. The primary focus was on what you eat and the food in your diet are essential in preventing a large number of serious health diseases (mainly from oxidative stress), including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, macular degeneration, dementia and asthma to name a few. The good news is that some peope are eating more positively with whole food based nutrition., Studies have shown that whole food nutrition is a benefit to primary and secondary prevention and death from heart disease. In addition studies have shown that failure of beta carotene, vitamin E and multivitamins alone to reverse the damage of oxidative stress and lastly there is no research that shows that vitamin pills actually do what antioxidants can do for human beings. (not lab animals), Research has shown that a diet rich in whole foods including; whole grains (with added benefits of fiber, selenium, potassium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and iron) are grains like Barley, Brown Rice, Millet, Oatmeal, Whole Wheat bread, Bulgar (cracked wheat). The rights fats; Omega 3 ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid) found in dark leafy greens, flax seed oil and walnuts, DHA and EPA found in fatty cold water fish, salmon, tuna and mackerel. Vitamin D found in eggs, butter, liver fatty fish, and milk and 15 min of sunlight a day. Tumeric (Curcumin) an antioxidant which is being explored as a cancer treatment to reduce inflammation. Fruits and Vegetables- 7-13 servings per day, it is so important to get these plant based whole foods in our diet because of the macro nutrients, phytonutrients, plant compounds, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These phytonutrients along with endogenous antioxidants provide a network of buffers against free radiacal damage.

Dr. Jennah's Wellness Workshop Series

Please join us this Monday night June 15th at the Newburyport Library at 6:30 pm to enjoy a complimentary event; Dr. Jennah's Wellness Workshop Series "Why do I feel so Lousy and What can I do about it?". This is sure to be an excellent event and we hope to see you there!