According to Wikipedia, “Non-dairy creamers are liquid or granular substances intended to substitute for milk or cream as an additive to coffee or other beverages.  They do not contain lactose and are therefore not considered dairy products……”.   These so called “dairy substitutes” contain sodium caseinate, corn syrup or other sweeteners and flavorings, and partially hydrogenated soybean oil.  What I do know about these is you don’t have to store them in the refrigerator.  That always scares me.  Like that yellow cheese my Mom used to make grilled cheese when we were kids that was stored on the shelf!

Let’s break down these ingredients and then you can decide for yourself if you’d like to continue using them for your coffee.

On nutrition labels, the ingredients are listed in order, from the greatest amount contained in the product to the least amount.  The principal ingredients in all non-dairy creamers are sugars and vegetable oils.  In powdered “milk”, the first ingredient is corn syrup solids.  This is dried corn syrup, the same ingredient found in soft drinks and processed food that is one of the causes of obesity in children and adults.  This ingredient accumulates in the liver and has a direct effect on our triglycerides, sending them straight up.  A good boost first thing in the morning, no?  NO!

Partially hydrogenated soybean oil is next.  This is a trans fat.  Even though the label states “0g of trans fat”.  The labeling laws say if a product has less than .5g of trans fats per serving, the manufacturer can claim there are NO trans fats in it.  Manufacturers make their serving size small enough so they can claim “no trans fats”.  This would benefit the food industry, not your health.  Not only do these chemicals boost your triglycerides, but also increase your chances of cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, and liver disease from hydrogenated soybean oil, the most highly processed, genetically modified oil on the market.

Sodium caseinate is a milk protein, but does not contain lactose.  According to Vegparadise News Bureau, “The sodium caseinate’s purpose is to provide a hint of dairy flavor as well as to create a thickening and whitening for a creamy look and feel.  Sodium caseinate is obtained from fresh and pasteurized skim milk by acid coagulation of the casein, neutralization with sodium hydroxide, and drying in a spray dryer.”  Even though the label reads “non-dairy”, the label also reads, “milk derivative” and states it “contains: milk, soy“.  Sodium caseinate is actually a glue used to put a label on a bottle of beer.  Also the glue that holds together wood furniture.  Your body sees this casein as a foreign protein and you produce histamines that end up as mucus.

Not convinced yet to read more of your food labels?  Dry, non-dairy creamers are also flammable.  The powdered substance becomes dispersed in the air and a small spark can set fire to it.  The rest of the label is hardly pronounceable.  We all know that if we can’t pronounce it, it probably isn’t good for us.  Oh, and the shelf life of these products?  Two years!  Be a label reader.  Be proactive.

Just found this song by Third Eye Blind, the chorus is, “So what’s it going to be?  Are you real to me?  Or are you nondairy creamer?”

Wikipedia defines Lyme disease as…..”the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere.  Borrelia (a species of bacteria) is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks…….Early symptoms may include fever, headache, depression, fatigue, and a characteristic circular skin rash…..Left untreated, later symptoms may involve the joints, heart, and central nervous system.  In most cases, the infection and its symptoms are eliminated by antibiotics, especially if the illness is treated early.  Late, delayed, or inadequate treatment can lead to the more serious symptoms, which can be disabling and difficult to treat.”

I met someone recently who was ill for quite some time and he kept insisting the doctors do a Lyme test. They said no, that there are no ticks in Vermont carrying Lyme disease.  He finally convinced someone to do the test and that was indeed what he had.  We all must be proactive about our health.  I say this all the time.  Do your research and seek out a second opinion.  Early detection is very important.

Symptoms of a tick bite can appear within one to two weeks or shorter or much longer, such as months to years.  This is the season for ticks, May through September.  You may see a red rash in the shape of a circle from the bite.  Unfortunately, tick bites are not painful, and you may not know you were even bit until you see the common bullseye rash pattern.  In some cases, you may not develop a rash; however, you may still have contracted Lyme disease.  Some other symptoms of Lyme disease are muscle pain, joint pain, heart palpitations and dizziness.  Some untreated patients will see some muscle tone loss in the face, severe headaches, neck stiffness and a sensitivity to light.

Young ticks will latch on and feed for a day without being noticed.  Lyme disease can be transmitted to the fetus through the placenta if the mother is infected, causing the most harm during the first three months of pregnancy.  In this case, a pregnant woman would not be given the usual treatment of antibiotics for Lyme disease, but a less effective antibiotic that is harmless to the fetus.

Animals may also contract Lyme disease.  Cats may show lameness, fever, loss of appetite or unusual breathing.  Dogs may be lethargic, poor appetite, fever, lameness, joint pain or kidney damage.  Dogs can transmit Lyme disease to their unborn puppies.  However, some animals display no symptoms at all.  I was at my friend’s house and we safely removed a tick from her dog with the help of the local vet on the phone.  I placed some oil over the tick and gently pulled it out.  You may want to keep the tick and ask your vet if it needs to be tested.  Even though my cat is an indoor cat, he got fleas last summer. Fleas must’ve been carried in on someone’s shoes.  I now treat him for a couple months during the summer.  If you live in a wooded or grassy area, check your animals when they come in the house.  Ticks are easy to feel on animals.  Embedded ticks grow to be the size of a small pimple.  My daughter works at a veterinary office and she told me she is seeing more cases of Lyme disease than she has seen before.  Protect your animals with the vaccine and flea and tick repellant.

The prompt removal of a tick, within 36 hours, will reduce the risk of contracting Lyme disease.  July and August are especially heavy times for tick bites.  The coastal areas of Maine and New Hampshire tend to have higher populations of ticks.  And with high deer populations in some states, ticks have animal hosts to feed on and then pass the bacterial disease from animal to humans. 

Doctors can diagnose the disease early if the initial symptom of the rash near the bite site appears.  Only when these symptoms do not appear, does the disease go undetected and will then prey on nerves and joints.  Take common sense precautions when out in the woods.  Wear light colored clothing tucked into socks and tick repellent.  After exposure, check the body thoroughly for ticks.  Deer ticks are not much larger than the head of a pin.  With proper precautions, Lyme disease can be prevented in animals and humans. 

I just read a story from someone at Hippocrates Health Institute who contracted Lyme disease and her symptoms where muscle pains, fever and insomnia.  Misdiagnosed by her primary doctor and many others, she found a Lyme disease specialist who diagnosed her problem.  However, that did not help with five years of pain, exhaustion, anxiousness and metal confusion.  She was given oral antibiotics, intravenous antibiotics and vitamins for treatment.  She was weak and struggling just to hold a job.  A second deer tick bite gave her another dose of Lyme disease.  After many more months of multiple problems, she began a raw food lifestyle.  This meant eventually going off her medication, but it has not been an easy road for her.

Stay healthy and safe this summer.

These statements are meant for informational purposes only and should not take the place of your primary care doctor.  Should you notice any of these symptoms, please consult your doctor or vet.

Someone asked me the other day, “Why do so many people have lower back pain?”  The answer really is very simple….We weren’t meant to walk upright!  And so many of us don’t walk upright.  We sit and stand with slouched shoulders and we have core muscles that are too weak to hold us upright.  With this scenario, our lower back muscles are constantly overworking, doing all the work it takes to hold our upper body erect.  Sore back muscles can start at any age.  If we assume the position of protecting the heart by slouching our shoulders, the chance for lower back pain is higher than it would be for someone who has been active most of their life and also not carrying extra weight around their middle.  We want to walk heart first into our life.  When you lead with your heart, you are open and accepting to what is happening. 

Try this:  Stand with your heels against the baseboard of an open wall and place the back of your head against the wall, along with your shoulders and about halfway down your back and your buttocks.  Not easy for you?  Then chances are you are walking through life lead by your head and not your heart.  Try it again and this time, tuck your tailbone down and under without moving your shoulders, mid back, or buttocks away from the wall. Did you feel your stomach muscles engage?  Did your head and shoulders come away from the wall when you tucked in your tailbone? 

Doing this exercise and keeping your head, shoulders, buttocks, and halfway down your back against the wall, you can start to feel the muscles that need to work and the ones that need to lengthen.  Pay attention to your rib cage.  Not just the front, but all around your torso.  Now, keeping your head, shoulders, back and buttocks against the wall walk your feet forward and bend your knees.  You should be feeling your abdominal muscles fully engage and this should make it easier to hold your position against the wall.  This is also working your leg muscles.  Make sure your feet are firmly planted on the floor. You can hold here for a bit and slowly come back up.  Try it a few times. 

Next, holding the above position, bring your arms up against the wall to “goal post” arms.  Making a goal post with your arms against the wall.  Is this difficult?  Are your hands moving away from the wall?  Remember to keep all of your back against the wall while holding your arms up.  If you can hold this, try moving your elbows into your waist while keeping your arms against the wall.  This action is engaging your upper back muscles, which are very important for holding your torso upright.  They are as much a part of your core muscles as your stomach muscles are.  These upper back muscles are, for most people, very hard to find.  Our continual slouching cause these muscles to be underworked, weak and tight.  Think about an old rubber band.  When you try to stretch it, it breaks.  These muscles need to loosen up and also need to be engaged in a conscious way.  If the position against the wall is difficult for you and causes pain in your neck or shoulders, you can do the whole thing on the floor.  Gravity is a wonderful tool. 

Lay on the floor with your knees bent, making a teepee with your knees together and your feet apart.  Keep the back of the head flat against the floor, along with your shoulders and all of your back.  And do the same as explained above, keeping every part of your back against the floor.  Don’t forget to breathe!

Breathing.  Let’s talk about that and how that will help your back.  While you are lying on the floor with your arms at your side, see if you can hold in your stomach and just breathe through your lungs.  Can you inhale each lung fully? Are you noticing one lung inflates more than the other?  Is the front of your chest expanding more than the side or back of your torso?  Just notice this.  And continue to breathe.  Try closing your eyes. 

If you have a job that keeps you in one position all day, there are things you can do for your back during the day.  Seated at a desk?  Try putting a block or box under your feet so that your knees extend directly out from your hips.  Standing a lot?  Try twisting from side to side, rotating your torso while keeping your hips forward.  Take a break and walk.  Lead with your heart and not your head.  Engage your upper back muscles, draw your shoulders back and down, tuck your tailbone down and lengthen the top of your head up.  Try a restorative yoga class or hatha yoga.  If your back is sore, lay on the floor with your feet on a chair and your knees bent or with your feet up a wall.  Breathe as you let go of every part of your body that is against the floor.

You see, it’s not only about relaxing your lower back, but also about engaging the correct muscles to support your lower back.  Once these core muscles are activated, your lower back muscles can work more efficiently and with the help of the rest of your body. 

As always, consult your doctor if your lower back pain is persistent and is accompanied with leg numbness or tingling.

Lead with your heart into the future!

I don’t remember the morning program I was watching the other day that stated Colorado and Vermont are two of the thinnest states in the United States and that obesity is on the rise throughout the country.  Fast food restaurants are popping up on every street corner in America.  Why Colorado and Vermont?  They say because they are four season states.  The ability to get out there and exercise throughout all four seasons is more readily available in these states.  I believe, since I’ve lived in Vermont for over 20 years that it is also because there are less fast food restaurants and more local farms and local produce available.  Vermont is the only state that does not have a McDonalds in their capital city.

I remember growing up in Connecticut going to McDonalds at least once a week. There were10 of us in my family and my dad would have to go with a list.  It was a highlight of the week. The other highlight was game night in my home.  The prize for winning Bingo was a Twinkie or a Susie-Q.  However, we also grew up with a tennis court, basketball court and swimming pool in our yard.  Exercise was also available.  And my parents went vegetarian before any of us did and passed that knowledge onto us later in life.  It’s not too late to start good habits for you or your children.

Healthy eating starts in your own home.  The local schools can only do so much with presenting healthy food to your children if you are not willing to support that in your own home.  Obesity rates have doubled for adults and tripled for children since 1980.  Is it any wonder?  Fast food joints, vending machines and inactive lifestyles, contribute to a country with an obesity epidemic. 

What are some other factors for obesity?  Genetics, emotions, age, culture and medical problems all influence weight gain.  As you age, muscle mass decreases and will slow metabolism (I’ve been seeing that one myself).  Because of this, your exercise and eating patterns must be adjusted.  This could be a great time to read those books on your shelf about being a vegetarian or raw foodist.  Our bodies want to move.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Park your car in the furthest space away from the store.  By keeping a journal of your food and how you are feeling before you eat, you can start to recognize your eating habits.  Are you eating just because you are sad, anxious, or angry?  Notice how when your children hurt emotionally, the first thing you may want to do is feed them.  They need emotional nurturing, not a way to deny their feelings with food.  Start a diary with your kids.  This could also help to diagnose food allergies.

We learn about eating and cooking in our own households growing up.  In our family, birthdays were plentiful and also a great reason to get together for pizza, soda and cake.  Do you praise your children with food for good behavior or winning a game?  Most of us don’t recognize the habits we are teaching our children.  Think about your own upbringing.  What were your patterns when it came to food?  How can you help your child learn good eating and exercise habits?  Get rid of the distractions at the dinner table; the newspapers, tv and phone.  Eat slower, even with less talking.  Save the talking for before dinner during preparation and after dinner during clean-up. 

The Mayo Clinic states the following:  “Although there are some genetic and hormonal causes of childhood obesity, most excess weight is caused by kids eating too much and exercising too little. Children, unlike adults, need extra nutrients and calories to fuel their growth and development. So if they consume the calories needed for daily activities, growth and metabolism, they add pounds in proportion to their growth. But children who eat more calories than needed gain weight beyond what’s required to support their growing bodies”.

Get excited about learning some new things with your kids.  Yoga, raw food, the local farmer’s market, or just the fruit and vegetable isle at the grocery store.  Get out the juicer that you bought yourself and is now gathering dust in the cabinet.  Let the kids choose what fruits they want to throw in.  See who can achieve the best color of juice!  It’s ice cream season.  Some juicers will make really awesome, healthy and fresh ice cream.

Here’s to family health!

Here are some warning signs of a heart attack from the American Heart Association:

Chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas of the upper body, shortness of breath, and cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.  Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the chest that can last more than a few minutes to a few weeks.  It could present as pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.  You could also have pain in one or both arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach.  It is critical not to dismiss any of these symptoms and to seek medical attention as soon as possible to rule out a heart attack.  This will have a big factor in damage to your heart and survival.

Here’s my story, because I always have at least one   About seven years ago, my Dad was in excellent physical shape.  He was 70 years old and was playing up to four softball games a week (sometimes three in one day), working full time at Optimum Health Institute in CA, and eating a healthy diet (mostly vegetarian).  One day I got a phone call from my Mom saying he had had a heart attack.  What?  How did that happen?  He had started feeling bad three weeks prior.  Chest pain and other symptoms, but continued to go about his day.  The only thing that brought him into the doctor that day was because in his softball game he had gone 0 for 4 and he thought something must be wrong.  If you don’t know anything about baseball, that means he didn’t get a hit that day.  Again, he just went to the doctor that day after three weeks of discomfort.  The doctor told him he’d been having a heart attack for three weeks.  His heart muscle was (and still is) working at 30%.  Heart muscle does not repair itself.   Yes, the doctor’s were surprised he was still alive.  To this day, when he walks into the doctor’s office, they say to him “I can’t believe you are still here.”  I tell him it’s time to get a new doctor. 

Obviously, with my Dad being in such good physical shape, blood is pumping through his body without the full help of his heart.  He’s still around although cannot work and has trouble walking upstairs and is learning more and more about himself and his family every day.  It’s not his time; he has more work to do.  And yes, he fights sadness and negativity every day. 

 It is vitally important to have your muscle’s working to their optimum efficiency to support healthy blood movement.  Staying active and eating healthy are two important factors in heart health.  I’m writing this because I have been thinking a lot about the recent deaths of some celebrities.  Better lifestyle habits can help reduce your risk of a heart attack and help to maintain a healthy heart, mind and body.  Choosing the right foods, managing your weight, and exercise.  Emotional health is just as important.  As with my Dad, sometimes eating healthy and exercise aren’t the only things to avoid heart disease.

Heart disease is the number one killer of American women.  Don’t ignore the signs.  What else can cause heart disease?  Weight-loss supplements and recreational drug use may cause life-threatening cardiac complications.  Is it time for you to start a healthier lifestyle?  How about doing it for your kids?  How about teaching your children healthy habits now? 

I just closed my business.  Amazing, but my physical body already feels better.  The stress alone was hurting every muscle in my body.  And yes, it would’ve eventually hurt me in other ways.  I’m convinced of that.  Look at how you really feel and trust your intuition.  Don’t ignore the physical or the emotional signs.

Have a safe and happy Fourth!