How Nutrition Affects IQ

Eating healthy won’t just help your waistline – it can give you an unfair competitive advantage at school, work, and life.

Margarine decreases IQ

The Department of Paediatrics from the University of Aukland found that children who eat margarine on a daily basis are associated with significantly lower IQ scores. (1)

Sugar decreases IQ

A remarkable study conducted by Dr Jane Goodman at the University of Connecticut found that test subjects who drank a single coke had a decline in mental performance just 30 minutes after consumption, and made twice as many mistakes on a test 1 hour later, compared to the control group.

It was deemed that the sugar in the coke is what was primarily responsible for this effect. (2)

Fresh fruits & vegetables increase IQ

An informal experiment done at the University of Oregon by a professor was set up to test the IQs of his students. Students took an IQ test, then  ate only raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds for 2 whole days following the test, and then took the IQ test again. Students on the raw diet scored an average of 40% higher on their IQ tests compared with their individual scores just 2 days earlier.  (3)

Try increasing your fresh produce intake and watch your mental performance take off.

Sources:

1. Dr. Russell Blaylock MD

2. Ibid

3. The Live Food Factor

Playing Chess Burns Calories

There’s a brilliant new talk on TED.com by Stanford Professor of Neurology Robert Sapolsky on the uniqueness of human beings.

Among other smashing revelations, he shares a different way to burn calories:

Playing chess.

Or, for that matter, exercising the brain.

“… [with] chess masters in the middle of a tournament, they are going through six to seven thousand calories a day thinking. [They are] turning on a massive physiological stress response simply with thought and doing the same thing with their bodies as if they were some baboon that’s just ripped open the stomach of their worst rival — it’s all with thought.”

Of course, these competitors play for full days, so playing one game of chess will not burn thousands of calories.

Engaging your brain more often will help to burn up some marginal fat:

• Tackle analytical problems at work
• Read about game theory
• Learn a new language
• Do a crossword puzzle

Announcement: We’re going to be speaking at the Toronto IamYoga studio about Burning Fat at Work on March 3rd, 2010. We’ll be sharing the podium with a Team Canada athlete who will talk about Olympic Workouts. The cost is $10, or $5 if you are an S-Drive member. Sign up here.

How “Glycation” Causes Wrinkles

A large reason why we obtain wrinkles is as a result of glycation, a side-effect of cooking food, says Dr Laurence Anderson of the Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australia.

Glycation is the result of a sugar molecule bonding to a protein or lipid molecule without the controlling action of an enzyme.

Dr. Gabriel Cousens MD also reports that glycation is a hazardous thing for our bodies: it gets in the way of our vital organs functioning, damages internal tissues, and impairs proteins from doing their job inside our bodies.

Most people are unaware that we ingest tens of thousands of glycated molecules through all food that has been processed.

The more pure, whole, unadulterated food you can eat, the more you can prevent A.G.E.s from creating new wrinkles in your skin:

• Raw fruits & vegetables: negligible amounts of A.G.E.s
• Steamed veggies: 10 to 100 A.G.E.s
• Any food that comes in a box or package: 1000s of A.G.E.s
• Dairy or meat: 10,000s of A.G.E.s
• Traditional thanksgiving dinner: 100,000s of A.G.E.s(Source)

The Journal of the American Diabetic Association advises that it’s better to eat things raw, steamed, boiled or lightly roasted – once it’s going past 100°F through broiling and frying, the A.G.Es quickly pile up.

We’re hosting a live-food detox retreat with Marni Wasserman, CNP, on the weekend of May 14 to 16, 2010 – all foods will have virtually no A.G.E.s, and the exercise and spa treatments we chose actually help to naturally create new collagen in the skin. Learn more here.

Cruda: Toronto’s Newest Raw Restaurant

We’re very excited about welcoming Cruda Café to the Toronto raw food community!

Cruda Café is a raw food restaurant which is currently under construction in the basement of the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, at the intersection of Front and Jarvis.

We stumbled upon it recently, as the House of Verona Toronto office is right next door.

When they open, they’ll serve vegan, organic living foods for eat-in or take-out in biodegradable containers.

The GTA now supports 5 raw restaurants – staggering growth, consider we had only 1 from 2000 to 2008.

The number of restaurants is a telling metric of the nature of the health community in Toronto, and the growth rate of the raw trend.

In comparison, Montreal has 1, New York has 7, and the L.A. area has 20 and counting.

Welcome, Cruda!

Learn from the Norwegians

In small Norwegian ski towns, the locals are thoroughly proud to be outdoors-men and women.

They relish cross-country skiing, running, fishing, and being outside all day with family.

As North Americans who live in colder areas, we often curse the winter for getting in the way of our lives.

Let’s instead embrace winter as a critical part of life.

We at the House of Verona now propose that we welcome the cold as part of our proud identity. Let’s stand up for the fact that we wear 5 layers before we go out.

If the Scandinavians can look fabulous in the winter, what’s stopping us from doing the same? Let’s:

• Run outside
• Go shopping outdoors instead of in malls
• Sit on a patio
• Go skating
• Walk & do lunges in a nearby park

Challenge yourself to do something you would only do in the summer.

Be strong. You can do it. And it’ll make you a better person for it.

Photo credit: Ida Frosk

Add this to your bath & get young

It has been shown that adding chlorophyll to baths can increase your red blood cell count.

Dr. Bernard Jensen from San Marcos, California, had patients soak in a chlorophyll-water bath, and measured their blood values before and after.

He found that their red blood cell counts doubled within only a few days of treatment.

Patients were able to build their blood even more quickly when they drank green juices and wheatgrass in addition to taking chlorophyll baths.

To learn more about how chlorophyll can rebuild blood, see our article entitled, “How Chlorophyll Rebuilds Blood Cells.”

Why is it important to have healthy blood?

• Dr Oz reminds us that we’re only as young as our blood & arteries: our “real age” can be determined by looking at our blood.
• Iron-rich blood brings oxygen to cells, which enhances youth and mental health.
• Blood carries nutrients to cells – without nutrients, our bodies age more rapidly.
• Healthy blood flow can be a wonderful thing for men who are sexually active – we won’t say it explicitly, but which male organ do you think can become larger from having more, stronger blood flow?

What’s the best way to add chlorophyll to baths?

The fresher the chlorophyll, the better your results will be.

The following methods are listed in order of effectiveness – the first being the most effective.

• Add a couple shots of freshly juiced wheatgrass (juiced within the hour)
• Add 1-2 cups of freshly juiced or blended leafy greens (kale, chard, etc) with water
• Add 1 cube of frozen wheatgrass
• Add 1 tablespoon of raw, unpasteurized wheatgrass or chlorophyll powder
• Add 1 tablespoon of raw, unprocessed, liquid chlorophyll

Source: The Wheatgrass Book by Dr Ann Wigmore.

What has 15x more nutrition than celery?

It’s definitely more difficult to stay healthy during the winter. Local farms in cold climates stop delivering fresh produce, and so we have to ship more in from warmer climates.

The longer produce stays on a truck, the more nutrients are lost.

That’s why it’s critical to consume locally grown sprouts in the wintertime.

Consider the following chart, which demonstrates that pea sprouts have up to 15 times the nutrition of celery.

Source: www.nutritiondata.com

Sprouts contain many minerals, which is important because non-organic produce is grown in mineral-deficient soil (Source: United States Department of Agriculture).

Sprouts also contain 10 to 100 times the amount of enzymes than in raw fruits and vegetables.

Enzymes are critical for health because they catalyze chemical reactions. Thousands of reactions take place in your body to keep you alive, healthy, and young.

Without catalysts, reactions take more energy to produce the same result – leaving you feeling drained.

Whenever we use sprouts on our raw or vegetarian retreats, they come from a local grower named Mark Mackenzie. You can contact him to grow you pea, buckwheat, sunflower and wheat sprouts (i.e., wheatgrass).

Mark is also an extremely knowledgeable nutritionist and a 6-year raw vegan, so feel free to pose your advanced nutrition questions to him: +1.519.940.3869.

How to kill junk food cravings III

In this final installation in our series on how to kill junk food cravings, we’re going to provide you with some ammunition to strengthen your mental motivation to stay healthy.

Understanding the fundamentals behind cravings can help you avoid detrimental foods. The following are some chemical causes of cravings, and how they can be overcome.

Reason 1: Serotonin Deficiency

Low levels of serotonin are associated with higher cravings for sugar and refined carbohydrates. (Source: Dr Gabriel Cousens MD)

Solution 1: Avoid psychedelic drugs, exercise, get sunshine, and take an L-Tryptophan or 5-HTP supplement

The body synthesizes serotonin in the following manner:

L-Tryptophan (an amino acid) –>  5-HTP  –>  Serotonin

• If you’d like to try taking supplements, check with your doctor first. Dr Gabriel Cousens, MD recommends taking 500mg of tryptophan each day before bed, as it can have drowsy effects. The dietary equivalent would be 100g of pumpkin seeds. He also recommends taking 100mg of 5-HTP before bed.
• A 2002 study published in The Lancet found that the rate of production of serotonin by the brain was directly related to the prevailing duration of bright sunlight, and rose rapidly with increased luminosity.
• There is some evidence that exercise has an effect on serotonin levels.

Reason 2: Too Much Dopamine

Appetite and sugar cravings are affected as a result of ingesting too much dopamine from the following sources:

• caffeine (coffee, Red Bull, tea, etc)
• sugar (desserts, agave, honey, etc)
• alcohol
• marijuana
• nicotine
• cocaine
• heroin
• amphetamines

This is partially due to repeated use of a substance, which causes a decrease in the number of dopamine receptors. (Source: Dr Cousens MD)

Solution 2: Manage Your Dopamine

Evidence exists that suggests it’s possible to repair dopamine pathways through a healthy diet filled with nutrients and abstaining from substances which temporarily elevate dopamine: caffeine, sugar, alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, and other drugs.

Reason 3: Glutamine Deficiency

Glutamine is 1 of the 20 amino acids, and a deficiency can lead to an increased craving for sugar foods, advises Dr Cousens.

Solution 3: Eat more glutamine, or supplement

• Dietary sources of L-glutamine include cabbage, beets, sprouted beans, spinach, and parsley.
• Since the 1950s, researchers have found that glutamine supplements can help to control alcoholics’ desire to drink. If you choose to supplement, Dr Cousens suggests taking 500mg once or twice daily.

Reason 4: Low Endorphins

Endorphins can also play a role in cravings, says Dr Cousens.

Solution 4: Exercise, Laugh, & Have Sex

Engage in activities which increase endorphins, such as physical exercise, laugher, and sex, as endorphins may be released during orgasm.

Reason 5: Consuming too much sugar and alcohol

Sugar and alcohol are highly addictive substances which lead to move cravings for the same.

Solution 5: Eat Raw

Dr John Douglass MD PhD of Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center in California prescribed a raw food diet to his patients and saw that addictions to alcohol and nicotine lost their addictive power over people on these diets. (Source: The Live Food Factor, page 164).

Selected Motivational Insights

Here are a few of the findings that have motivated us, at the House of Verona, to stay as healthy as possible.

• It’s possible to change your genes: Dr Dean Ornish, MD, has been vocal in the fact that our genes are not our fate. Genotypes are genes which we’re born with, and do not change. Phenotypes are genes which are affected by environmental factors. what you eat, how much you move, and how mentally healthy you are can make a huge difference.
• Raw food increases IQ: An informal university experiment was conducted under the supervision of a professor, where a control group ate normally for 2 days, and an experimental group ate only raw foods for 2 days. An IQ test was taken before and after the experiment was conducted. Those who were eating only raw foods for 2 days found that their average IQ was increased by 40% (Source: The Live Food Factor, page 165).
• Sugar ages your body dramatically: Dr Brian Clement ND, an outspoken critic of sugar in all of its forms, shares the following on his website: “Over the years, I have spent hundreds of hours viewing microbes and mutagens on Petri dishes. Whenever I added any form of sugar, be it fructose, sucrose, dextrose, etc, every disease was stimulated and grew.”

How to kill junk food cravings II

Last week, we discussed how getting enough nutrients can help eliminate cravings. This week, we’ll examine the relationship between unresolved emotional issues and cravings.

Common Emotional Reasons for Poor Eating

• Depression / sadness
• Loneliness
• Boredom
• Fear (of failure / abandonment / rejection, etc.)
• Anger
• Shame
• Embarrassment
• Hurt
• Happiness / celebration

Thousands struggle with deep-rooted ties between food and emotions. It started when we were children, as our parents would either reward, comfort, or placate us with candy, fries, and so on.

Here’s how you can work towards defeating these strong, but breakable, bonds. Before you start:

1. Understand that it will take time: Imagine that you have 5 years to achieve this goal. Relax, and don’t put pressure on yourself. If you do, it could impede your chances of success.
2. Stop feeling guilty for eating poorly: Remove all of the stress that you feel when you eat something “unsanctioned.” Tell yourself that you are allowed to eat whatever you want, and let yourself experience that feeling of freedom. This way, you’ll begin to install peaceful associations with food, in order to begin replacing negative feelings.

Dealing with Emotional Baggage

Food binging or cravings are not going to end until you roll up your sleeves and deal with the deep, dark, embarrassing emotional issues that you have not resolved.

This is the hardest part. It’s going to get very messy. It’s going to be painful, difficult, and possibly time consuming.

But it’s the storm before the calm. Afterward, you will be left with more confidence, self esteem, and emotional peace. You also set yourself up for a healthier and longer physical life later on – which is a separate article in itself.

Seek a therapist’s help

• Seek out a therapist’s help.
• “Journey” Practitioners are highly trained, highly effective professionals who help you uproot and solve lingering emotional traumas. We highly recommend Annette Nolan’s practice: she has much experience in helping people resolve deep-rooted issues.

Seek help from a trusted family member or friend

• Find someone who you trust, and talk to them about what you’re going through. Request that they listen, and only offer advice when you specifically ask for it.

Attend support groups

• Depression Support Groups
• Overeaters Anonymous
• Eating Disorders Groups
• Weight Watchers Meetings
• Emotions Anonymous

Every professional’s process will be different, whether it’s your therapist or group support leader. The following is an example of what the process might look like.

Example

• Confront the underlying negative emotions. For example, if you eat every time you feel like you’re “not good enough,” perhaps your underlying issue is a fear of rejection.
• Feel that emotion fully. Give yourself a chance to finally deal with an emotion that you probably suppressed when it first originated.
• Think back to the first time in your life you ever felt that emotion.
• In your mind, confront that memory head-on: confront the people who hurt you, what you were feeling, and so on.
• Analyze this memory by seeing it from the other person’s perspective – the one who hurt you. Imagine what the other person would say if you confronted them.
• The goal is to find peace at the end of this confrontation through realizing new truths that you were oblivious to before; an example might be, “the person who hurt me was just jealous of my situation, and was trying to protect their own ego.”

This article only scrapes the surface of what needs to be done in order to solve this problem. Please use this as just a starting point for your own journey to resolving your issues.

We wish you the very best of luck!

Photo Credit: Thomas Paquet

How to kill junk food cravings I

Most of our clients do not eat 100% purely – they usually are 80% healthy, and the other 20% comprises of things they just can’t give up yet. Although moderation is a virtue, when that 20% consists of junk foods, it can result in a rough struggle.

I’ve definitely been in these trenches before, and it took me years to finally climb out. Here’s how I was able to eliminate junk food cravings for good.

The top causes

1.    Nutritional deficiencies
2.    Unresolved emotional issues
3.    Being unaware of the real damage that junk food can do

The solutions

1.    Organic green smoothies and juices
2.    Solving emotional issues
3.    Learning the specific scientific details about what junk food does to your cells

This week, we’ll focus on #1: nutrient deficiencies.

Nutritional Deficiencies

We always stress to clients that caving in to junk food is not necessarily a willpower failure. In fact, that’s the least likely reason why you are reaching for that item.

It’s much more likely to be a result of a nutritional deficiency (Sources: Gillian McKeith RHN; Dr Russell Martino, PhD). That’s part of the reason why obese individuals report an inability to stop eating: their bodies are literally malnourished from a nutrient standpoint, and are putting out constant signals for them to find nourishment.

The quickest & easiest way to fill up on nutrients

Guzzle down juices or shakes with organic dark leafy greens as the main ingredient:

-    kale
-    collard
-    swiss chard
-    spinach
-    dark romaine leaves
-    bok choy
-    arugula
-    watercress leaves
-    carrot greens (the tops that we usually cut off – keep it!)
-    beet greens (the tops)
-    turnip greens (the tops)
-    dandelion
-    purslane

Mix in low-sugar foods to dilute the bitter taste of the greens:

-    cucumbers
-    lemons or limes
-    avocadoes
-    celery
-    green apples
-    stevia

Make sure that the foods you mix in are low in sugar: the juice of oranges, carrots, beets, and other higher-sugar items would spike your insulin and could lead to more sugar cravings later on.

Aim to drink 1 to 2 litres of green liquid (smoothies or juices) every day – that means 1 to 2 bunches of greens. Consider this drink to be medicine – just down it. It’ll get better as time goes on.

It is of critical importance to always rotate the type of greens you consume, so that you are getting a full spectrum of nutrients.

This worked for me every single time I fell off the wagon. When I skip this routine for a few days, I feel cravings starting to creep back.

Other foods that help to kill cravings include wheatgrass shots and sprouts. These are both loaded with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids. If you’re serious about killing cravings, aim for 3 to 6 wheatgrass shots per day, or ¼ lb to ½ lb of sprouts in salads, shakes, or juices.

What if I can’t afford a juicer?

Juice bars usually have some form of leafy greens that you can juice for about $5 for 1 litre. Some staff members will actually let you bring your own greens and juice them for you.

Try this for a couple days and you’ll really understand why “eating healthy requires willpower” is quite a myth: it’s amazing how you will not even feel any urge to eat pizza, doughnuts, or freshly baked bread when your blood is nutrient-rich.

Next week, we’ll tackle the other top causes of junk food cravings.