There’s no substitute for the sun. The sun’s rays interact with tannins in the
skin to form vitamin D which is absorbed into the blood stream in just a matter
of hours. Vitamin D then metabolizes with calcium in your diet to, among other
things, help you maintain a sturdy frame. It’s essential. A key feature of your
health.

But look at the way we’ve been conditioned to think of the sun’s rays as always
being dangerous. We use exorbitant amounts of sunblock, spraying and rubbing
man-made chemicals into our skin (which ultimately enter the bloodstream).
AND HERE’S THE BIG ONE – Seemingly every “skin care/moisturizer”
product on the market contains SPF. That’s not skin care. That’s ‘skin wear and tear’
aka Vitamin D block!

So am I recommending getting sunburned? Of course not. Sunblock has its place.
If you’re on the beach for hours, use it. Please. But the fact is
we need healthy amounts of sunshine. The key to getting it is the time of day!

The time of day to get your Vitamin D is actually mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Here’s why. There are 2 forms of UV radiation from the sun. UVB and UVA. It’s UVB that produces the Vitamin D. And the strength of UVB depends on the height of the sun in the sky. Middle of Day, more UVB. Early or late, less UVB. On the other hand UVA is strong all day. Long exposure to either is not good. High noon qualifies as extreme, however brief exposure of a few minutes will not be harmful. But again, the ideal time is mid-morning and mid-afternoon. And here’s the real key – more surface area of skin, shorter exposure time.

* Note – these times of day are general and do not apply to all regions of the world and at all times of the year. Also these principles do not apply in the exact same way to ALL body types. That’s getting into a more complex subject and is out of my level of expertise. Yes, you will get some Vitamin D early and late in the day but will be quite nominal compared to mid-day.

* Another Note – while good, you don’t need sunshine every day, of course. With northern winters, the human body has adapted to going months without it. But neither should you avoid it. And neither should you use sunblock and “skin care” products that contain
sunblock any more than is absolutely necessary. If you’re out in the noonday
sun, the best protection is wearing light cotton, long sleeves with a
wide-brimmed hat.

If you need a moisturizer, look carefully at the ingredients and find one
that doesn’t mention SPF. My recommendation? Olive or coconut oil. Greasy? Well,
here’s the trick: when you’re in the shower, take a tablespoon of olive or
coconut oil and rub it in all over your body. Then rinse well and towel dry.
Your skin will soon radiate a natural glow. And olive oil is high in vitamin E,
a natural antioxidant.

As for Vitamin D supplements – there is tremendous debate. But it’s not gonna hurt like many other supplements potentially could. I do have a friend who was taking exorbitant amounts of Vitamin D. She stopped taking it and got out in the sun and her Vitamin D levels increased impressively fast. But again, not all rules apply to everyone.

So, quick review – The right sunshine: good. Eating coral: bad. Vitamin D supplements:
 well, questionable. Save the sunblock for when you’re in the sun for a lengthy period. Remember that right outside your door is all the vitamin D you could ask for. It’s free and easily accessible. Ain’t Mother Nature grand?

Yours Truly,

Billy

ps…I say we meet up tomorrow for some 10am UVB and skip around the block in bikinis and speedos. You in?

…And hey, did you find this article helpful? If yes, pass it to a friend!

Believe it or not, when it comes to sugar and health, it’s not all bad news. The fact is, sugar is nearly essential for our health. It’s brain fuel – glucose. And a big benefit is that it’s fast-acting. Whereas carbs and fats can take hours to break down into fuel for the body, glucose is put to use almost instantly.

The bad news? We’ve gone down the wrong track with it. The sugar most of us are likely to ingest today is highly processed refined sugar. This kind of sugar produces a scary amount of wear and tear on the body – energy and weight are big ones. And it’s in seemingly everything. You’ll even find it in all those “natural” snacks. It’s in cereal, granola, crackers, chips, baked goods of all kinds, many breads, and virtually every “low-fat” snack you come across – aisle after aisle of them, even at your natural food store! These can be the worst since they’re constantly trickling through our diet.

But let’s focus on the good news and find a way to reduce the effects of the bad news. Your body needs sugar, so let’s give it sugar. Let’s feed that sweet tooth of yours. We all have one. It’s a law of human biology. So let’s keep it happy. But let’s be smart about how we do it. We don’t need to give up sugar, we just need to use the right sugar – the elite sugar.

Where can we find the elite sugar that your body needs? Easy. The organic produce section of your local grocery store or fruit stand. Fruits are where the elite sugar hangs out. And the elite of the elites can be found in berries – blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries. Colorful berries. Remember that color is frequently reflective of nutrient density and quality.

And the great thing about berries is that they’re mostly low glycemic. This means they’re slower burning and therefore less likely to quickly raise and lower your blood sugar. Processed sugar, by contrast, is high glycemic, quickly burning and sending your blood sugar up and down and all over the place. There are some higher glycemic fruits, too. Tropical fruits like bananas or pineapple or papaya or mango are high glycemic. But they’re better for you than the processed stuff. In moderation, they serve a good role as sweeteners in a smoothie!

And then somewhere in the middle of the glycemic scale you have the other fruits you might think of – pears, apples, oranges, watermelon, etc. They’re all good for you. Having a piece of fruit in the morning and again in the afternoon will keep your sweet tooth happy. You’ll be a lot less likely to grab a donut from the break room or order a sugar-filled dessert at lunch.

Even though with berries it’s hard to overdo it, most fruits, like anything in life, require some moderation. What qualifies as ‘moderation’ is different for everyone, but I believe in our body’s instincts when it comes to healthy foods. Here’s the trick – combine them with protein fats. Fruits and protein fats work beautifully together. Sugar produces quick energy, protein fats help your body sustain the energy. The protein fats satiate your appetite to help prevent overdoing the sugar. Mix fruit with yogurt. Or with nuts and seeds.

Think up your own combinations. A banana split? Hmm…think a little harder. How about berries and yogurt? Much better. Raw sprouted almonds (a superfood!) and prunes? Perfect. Apples and almond butter? Now you’re talking. Of course fruits don’t have to be eaten with anything else, but the energy you’ll derive from them will last longer if you add something a little more energy-sustaining soon after.

Since your body needs fuel first thing in the morning, nothing beats a smoothie when you get out of bed. Here’s my favorite: put a banana in a blender with a heaping tablespoon of yogurt and a heaping tablespoon of raw almond butter and your Infinity Greens. The energy from the fruit and superfoods will be sustained with the protein fats for a slow burn that will last for hours. The perfect low-calorie, balanced, nutrient-dense breakfast! You’ll be ready to face the world all morning long.

Then need a snack in the afternoon? Try a piece of fruit and some almonds. Or how about a glass of fruit juice? But beware of pasteurized juices, especially those bottled “superfood” drinks with gross amounts of sugar. Yuck. Stick with raw and fresh-pressed juice. Again, with moderation. Though it’s nutritive, it is sugar, after all.

Okay, so let’s talk about those processed sugars. They ain’t all bad. But some are definitely better than others. Let’s look at the elites. The elite non-fruit sugars can be found in raw honey or maple syrup. These are my top picks. Real maple syrup – tree sap – not the Aunt Jemima kind. I’m sure she was a sweet lady, but her syrup is little more than high-fructose corn syrup. Real maple syrup is rich in minerals. And raw honey has nutritive medicinal value. It’s an immune booster. Once again, mix these sugars with protein fats. Honey, yogurt, and/or nuts n’ seeds are a great combination.

Other middle of the road processed sugars include agave nectar and coconut sugar. Using a little in your tea, ok. How much exactly is a tough call because we’re all different, but use your best judgment bearing in mind it is in fact processed sugar. These don’t have nutritive value, but at least they don’t produce the same kind of wear and tear on the body as processed cane sugar. Do what you can to cut back on processed white sugar and keep it infrequent…a little dark chocolate, fine. Note – you can find raw chocolate sweetened with coconut. This one is my pick – Silvermoon Chocolate – nutritive in moderation.

So, the dilemma is solved. Your body needs sugar, and now you know the right places to find it. First thing tomorrow, make yourself a smoothie. Have something in the afternoon too. Throw the glazed donut away… and the ‘natural’ junk food too. At least read the ingredients before you munch on it!

Try this protocol for a week and see if you don’t have more energy and feel better!

And see if something else doesn’t start to happen. As with any healthy protocol, when you give your body what it really wants and you begin to feel the benefits, you’ll notice how easy it is to stick with it, how much you naturally will start to gravitate towards the things that make you feel great, and how easy it is to continue feeling great!

And that’s the best news of all.

As always, wishing you the best!~

Billy Merritt

PS…Did you find this article helpful? If yes, pass it on!

Press play!

Have you been taking the Infinity Greens I gave u? Well if yes, do you notice anything?

…This is My New Favorite Infinity Superfood Smoothie! Try it!

5 – 10  frozen organic strawberries 

1 cup pure water

1-4 heaping teaspoons Infinity Greens, and/or C, and/or Protein – choose what you need.

1-2 heaping tablespoons whole Greek yogurt and/or raw almond butter

Optional – 1/2 organic banana or pear.  or round tablespoon raw honey.

Blend it up and enjoy the healthiest and most delicious superfood smoothie there ever was!~

And last thing! Here’s a gift – use this code for 15% off your first web order – saturdayteaparty15

Myth-buster alert!

Myth: We make ourselves fat by eating fat.

Every wonder why, as a nation, we’re getting fatter and fatter, and yet we all seem to be on “low-fat” diets. Something doesn’t seem to add up.

It turns out that there are healthy fats and unhealthy fats. But since “fat” is generally regarded as the cause of our obesity problem, we don’t differentiate the way we should. We see all fat as inherently bad for us. But fat is essential to health. First of all, healthy fats satiate. They make us feel satisfied and prevent overeating. We all know how we can sit down with a bag of potato chips and polish off the whole thing. Same with corn chips, crackers, popcorn, bread, cereal, pasta, and other starchy foods. Notice that these are mostly low-fat foods. It’s easy to overeat them, and what does your body do with the overflow of these starchy calories? It stores them as…fat!

Something else about fat. It’s a necessary catalyst for nutrients. Almost every vitamin and mineral is, to some degree, fat soluble. You can eat all the right nutrients, but if you don’t have the right amount of fat to act as the catalyst, you can actually become malnourished! Fats are also needed for healthy joints and connective tissues. And consider that the human brain is 80% fat! Not only have we become a nation of people getting fatter with our low-fat diets, we’re starving our brains. And so we’re getting crankier. And we’re tired all the time. Fat is fuel. It burns the exact same way as those carbs we’re overeating.

The secret is to eat more of healthy fats and avoid the unhealthy ones. Unhealthy fats are everywhere. A little history lesson: back in the 90s, food manufacturers came out with cheap ways to cook things. Suddenly we were all eating foods cooked in canola oil or safflower oil or soybean oil or really inexpensive hydrogenated vegetable oil. These unhealthy fats turned out to be one of the primary causes of putting on pounds. Why? Fats break down under high temperatures. Law of nature: when fats are heated or cooked, free radicals are produced that, when consumed, suppress the thyroid. You zap your thyroid and you zap your metabolism. Slow metabolism = weight gain!

So to offset that, we started reducing our intake of all fats. We started looking for low-fat alternatives and starving ourselves of (necessary) fats and buying into the calorie-counting protocol as a way to discipline ourselves. And that’s a recipe tailor-made for failure.

The trick is not to eliminate fat from your diet. The trick is to add the right fats. One-hundred calories of the right fat (what you might find in an avocado, for instance), is way more satisfying than one-hundred calories of chips, crackers, or other starchy foods. Same amount of calories, much different level of satiation.

The right fats – the elite fats – come in two categories: saturated and unsaturated. Easy to tell the difference. Saturated is solid at room temperature, unsaturated is liquid at room temperature. You need both. Yes, contrary to what you might have heard, you need even the saturated kind.

Unsaturated fats can be found in avocados, raw nuts and seeds, and oils like olive oil. Olive oil is the elite of the elites. Law of nature: cold-pressed olive oil is satisfying and you’ll never get fat on it. Impossible! Exception: when it’s heated, for the same reason as described above. Fats break down at high temps. (This, by the way, is why fried foods aren’t good for us even if they’re cooked in olive oil. Fried foods are the worst!)

Want to cook with oil? Then it’s essential to use saturated fats which don’t break down in heat. Butter or ghee (pure butter oil that is less likely to burn) or coconut oil. What? Butter?? Sure, I know I’m raising eyebrows but trust me on this. The key, of course, is moderation with the saturated fats. Too much saturated fat will raise your cholesterol (even cholesterol-free oil like coconut oil). But is one to three tablespoons going to raise your cholesterol? No, especially if you have a moderately active lifestyle. Want proof? Eskimos. Lots of fat, very little plant foods, active lifestyles. And almost non-existent heart disease.

Okay, some specific foods that I always get questioned about:

Eggs. Bad for you, right? Wrong. Eggs just might be the perfect food. Sure, they might be high in cholesterol, but they don’t raise your cholesterol. There’s saturated fat in eggs, but only to the tune of less than 1%. That’s why our ancestors (who never heard of heart disease) were able to eat them for thousands of years.

Animal products. Careful with meat. Beef, pork, chicken – these all require a substantial degree of moderation. These saturated fats can increase cholesterol and set a chain reaction towards weight gain. The leaner (and more seldom) the better. Animal protein in our diet is a debatable subject and is a separate topic entirely. This is a topic I will cover next month.

Dairy. It’s best to go with skim milk, right? Wrong again. The whole low fat dairy thing has been nothing less than a disaster. Two-percent and skim milk should just be called what it is: lactose concentrate. Or milk sugar. That’s all it is. And it’s harder to digest. This is why we’re all becoming lactose sensitive. Our bodies are rebelling. Drink whole milk – just drink less of it. And you’ll drink less of it because it’ll satisfy much quicker than the milk sugar stuff.

Processed carbs and sugars. Disasters. This is what we’re eating to try to get back that sense of satiation that we’ve lost to our low-fat diets. This stuff is weight gaining with zero nutrition.

Okay, so now the myth has been busted. Big picture: integrate healthy fats into your diet, preferably by integrating them with more plant foods. Soups and salads! Add olive oil to your salad. Butter or ghee or coconut oil to soup. Eat more raw nuts and seeds and avocados. Every body type is different. Experiment. You have way more flexibility with proportions between fat, carbs, and protein than you think.

I challenge you to go with this protocol for one month! If weight-loss is a priority for you, I am confident it will have some degree of impact. Not to mention the substantial impact on your overall health and longevity!

Did you find this article helpful? If yes, then pass it on!

All the best!~

Billy Merritt

So, here is what has been helpful for me! Rather than my resolutions being the ‘to-dos’, my resolutions are the ‘what’!  ”WHAT am I going for in 2013?”  ”Greater health!  Being nicer. Self-improvement of all kinds!”  The thought I am offering here: make the goal your resolution.  This is a way to keep an eye on the prize!   For me, ‘prizes’ are easier to remember than the discipline required to get there.   Ok, here’s your easy mantra to remember:   “MY RESOLUTION IS EVOLUTION; MY RESOLVE IS TO EVOLVE!”    Cheesy but effective.  Question is, what do you wish to see evolve in your life?

Part 2 of this thought…

Is it safe to assume that every year you wish to become an even healthier person?  Is there ever a point where we become too healthy?  Not likely. So what do you say we team up and all add to our tick-list of New Year’s resolutions to become healthier people…to evolve into a healthier species.  It’s never too late.

Now that we have our eye on the prize, here’s a short list of the how-to’s that I feel give the most bang for the buck. Yes it may take a teaspoon of discipline to get started.  The good news: this is high-impact stuff and the quick reward turns discipline to desire.  You’ll see what I mean.

Tick-list of the quick and easy to-do’s (stick this to your refrigerator) ~

First thing – Eat better. Don’t over think it. It simply means eating more plant food and less junk food. It’s all about more fruit, superfoods, and veggies. We gotta phase out counting calories as we integrate more plants foods.  Counting calories is a dying model.  It’s hard to overdo plant foods because for the most part they are low calorie density, high nutrient density. And the U.S. Daily Recommended Allowances? That’s on the way out too.  These ‘measurements’ are for a diet of processed food. As far as nutrients and calories, everyone’s needs are different. The key is to simplify. Eat less processed grains – less cereal, chips, bread, pasta, and crackers. Quinoa, brown rice, oats, and other whole grains in moderation are ok! Eat less fried food.  Add more healthy fats…  raw olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocados. Small amounts of saturated fats like coconut oil and dairy are OK!  Trust me!  Listen to my audio recording and I’ll explain. Cut back on other animal protein…. especially the fatty stuff. You don’t need to become a vegetarian if your not already; just cut back.  Less processed sugar for crying out loud!  Keep your sweet tooth happy with fruit. Small amounts of maple syrup and raw honey – OK! Have a smoothie first thing in the morning. Go organic. Say no to GMO (genetically modified organisms).

As for plant food, it couldn’t be simpler: greens, greens, greens. Kale, arugula, chard, spinach, parsley, cilantro, basil – it’s all good. Good news, I’m not talking about eating a bunch of salad. Quite frankly I think that would be depressing. Delicious plant food recipes? Click here.  Try my new winter veggie soup for sure!  My protocol is my recipes have to be easy…and tasty of course… but always easy. Remember that chlorophyll from green foods is number one for pulling toxic funk out of the body. And a good diet is all about ridding the body of toxic funk and replacing it with restorative nutrients. Your best source of chlorophyll? Blue-green algae.  Yo, that’s what Infinity Greens is all about. Am I bragging? Yes, because it’s true.

How about multivitamins? Flush them down the toilet – seriously. I can’t think of a more toxic ‘supplement’. Bottom line – do they come from real food? Nope, they come from mines. Why is everybody getting kidney stones? You might as well be swallowing plastic. Get your nutrients from real food! And speaking of plastic, stop drinking water from store-bought plastic bottles. Drink good quality water. If you don’t live in the distant regions of Montana, install a reverse osmosis water filter on your kitchen sink. Call a plumber.  He’ll know what to do.

Exercise more. This is just as important as eating better. And what is the number one exercise? Hiking hills!  This is unquestionably the best exercise for weight loss, lean muscle, and longevity! It’s that gene from our hunter-gatherer ancestors who were hiking 5 to 10 miles every day for 200,000 years. Hiking is cardio and load-bearing exercise all in one. When you’re walking up and down hills, you’re essentially lifting your own body weight!  Live in a flat area? Walk stairs. Wanna take it up a level? Carry weights. Start with five pound dumbbells and build up from there. Gentlemen, carry more weight. How about 5 gallon water jugs? Fill to a quarter full. Do sets on a steep hill. Also hire a trainer! That’s the best way I have ever spent my money! Notice the euphoric buzz you’ll get from the exercise. That’s your body and mind telling you you’re doing things right.

And speaking of nutrients, while you’re hiking, appreciate the sunshine and fresh air – vitamin D and O2! There’s no better way to get vitamin D (another key to longevity and a sturdy skeletal system) than good old-fashioned sunshine. Ain’t nothing better. Don’t make the mistake of blocking it out with toxic skin care products with SPF. All ‘skin care’ products have SPF now. Your skin is sensitive. Rub something on it and that something is going to be absorbed into the blood stream. You wouldn’t eat sunblock would you? My preferred SPF? A long-sleeve cotton t-shirt and a wide-brimmed hat. Fine, use sunblock when you’re at the beach, but not every day.  The safe time of day to roll up your sleeves or go topless to get your vitamin D – 90 minutes within sunrise or sunset. In both cases the sun’s rays are traveling through the atmosphere at an angle, filtering harmful rays. Boom, vitamin D deficiency dilemma dissolved. Need a skin moisturizer? Rub a teaspoon of olive oil head to toe in the shower. Rinse and towel dry. Try it, you’ll see.  As for O2…

Breathe dammit!  It’s easy and it’s free. Oxygen is the most important ‘nutrient’ you can put into your body.  First thing in the morning, concentrate on your breathing for at least five minutes. Here’s how. Do sets of 10 breaths. The reason I recommend ‘sets’ is otherwise it’s easy to forget what you’re doing. At least it is for me. Yes, I know I’ve talked about this before, but it really is the highest impact thing you can do for your health! You are training your brain! Your brain is like a muscle. Sit or stand up straight and breathe deeply. Five minutes! Do it, I challenge you. Modern-day humans don’t get nearly enough oxygen. Why? We have much to think about (call it stress if you will), and when the mind is overactive, the brain waves that control your diaphragm become weak. Law of human physiology: when under stress we breathe approximately half as much. This is why stress is the number one killer. Taking the time to breathe deeply and to breathe in sets does two things. First, it has the physiological effect of training your brain to instruct your body to breathe correctly, even in times of stress. Secondly, it requires concentration, concentration that makes you forget all the minor troubles you may have on your mind. It’s calming. It’s meditative. And amazing things might happen when you’re in a meditative state. Being still creates ‘another level of availability beyond the 5 senses’, if you will.  Is it possible that you might be able to somehow tune into all the energy that’s around you?  Science tells us it’s there, even the seemingly empty space in which your body rests. You can’t see it, but, like oxygen, it’s there.  I like to ponder that it’s feeding our mind the same way O2 feeds the body.  That’s my two cents anyway.

Get more sleep…and relax.  We’re a sleep-deprived nation. Our bodies need it. We need to be unplugged more. And while you’re adding more sleep into your life, look at your computer screen less. Cut back on TV.  Less staring at your phone. Yo, stay away from other people’s drama, while you’re at it… That includes drama- laden media. Can I pose that we do a Drama Detox together? More vitamin humor? Wish I could bottle it.  Hard feelings towards someone? Forgive them. Do it for yourself. We are built with the software in our head and heart to do it.  No other stress has more wear and tear on our health than hard feelings toward another… even fried Twinkies. I don’t claim to be great at it, but I get to exercise this ability dozens of times a day. And the good news is it gets stronger.  Make it a point to cut back on all the things that cause you stress. You’ll find that you’ll be a nicer person – inevitable when you’re nicer to yourself. And when you’ve done all that, cap it all off with a good night’s sleep.

Just a couple other small bits…

Hey, you don’t have to do all of the above at once. Pick one or two to focus on each day. Integrate something new every day. Make up your own!  (e.g., play team sports, ponder the universe, dance on hilltops, etc.) BUT WARNING: Adding the above protocol into your daily life will result in more energy, more vitality, better health, more happiness, clearer thinking, a kinder, less cranky you, and a longer life… and will likely spread to those around you.  Evolution, inevitable. So you’ll want to think hard about it before you resolve to evolve. If some of these results sound attractive to you, then by all means, climb aboard and away we go!  Just keep your eye on this prize…helps us to remember to remember

* I’ll be sending a newsletter about fat in your diet in a few weeks.

Last thing. I sent out Christmas cards to everyone including the new Infinity~C Bar as a gift. Pretty rad bars, hey? Only thing is, they got totally smooshed via USPS. Sorry about that.  But the Christmas card included a coupon for 25% off your first order in 2013 as a way to help you get the ball rolling. And in case you didn’t get a card, here’s the code: transformhealth2013

Was this info helpful? Then pass it on!

• 1 Carrot
• 1 Sweet Potato
• 1/2 Head Cabbage
• 1/2 lb Green Beans
• 1 Bunch of Kale
• 1 Zucchini
• 2 Heads Broccoli
• 3 round Tablespoons GHEE
• 1 1/2  Tablespoon Chili Powder Blend
• Salt to Taste – Use Celtic Sea salt!

Preparation:

Simmer water just at bottom of Big Pot.  Chop Vegetables into small bite size pieces. As you add Vegetables keep adding water – just enough to be below the vegetables. Keep simmering as you add Vegetables and Water.  Use less water than you would think! Simmer till veggies are medium soft.  Scoop approximately 1/3 of boiled vegetables to blender.  Add Desired amount of chili powder and blend it up into a hearty  broth. Add back to the pot and simmer to desired consistency. Salt to Taste.

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Here are the recipes I promised. Do them! —

1) The Perfect Breakfast Smoothie – how you start your day is a big one!

…This is My New Favorite Infinity Superfood Smoothie!

5 – 10  frozen organic strawberries 

1 cup pure water

1-4 heaping teaspoons Infinity Greens, and/or C, and/or Protein – choose what you need.

1-2 heaping tablespoons whole Greek yogurt and/or raw almond butter

Optional – 1/2 organic banana or pear.  or round tablespoon raw honey.

Blend it up and enjoy the healthiest and most delicious superfood smoothie there ever was!~

2) The Ultimate Salad ~

- a couple handfuls of arugula into the bowl, a few leaves of basil, and optional handful of sprouts. I prefer to crush them up a little bit with my fingers. This makes it absorb the dressing better…best for flavor.
- Sliced avocado, cucumber, pickle, a few sun-cured olives and handful of raw saurkraut
- A sprinkle of Billy’s Sprouted Almonds(for healthy fats with a crunch), macadamia nuts, celtic sea salt and cayenne.
- Pour on the olive oil and juice of one lemon…add a dash of balsamic v.
- Give it a little stir and voila!

3)SPICY HARVEST ORGANIC VEGETABLE SOUP  – Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Simmer water just at bottom of Big Pot.  Chop Vegetables into small bite size pieces. As you add Vegetables keep adding water – just enough to be below the vegetables. Keep simmering as you add Vegetables and Water.  Use less water than you would think! Simmer till veggies are medium soft.  Scoop approximately 1/3 of boiled vegetables to blender.  Add Desired amount of chili powder and blend it up into a hearty  broth. Add back to the pot and simmer to desired consistency. Salt to Taste.

Also we talked a bit about gluten, and here is a link to the blog that gives the details about that ~ The Truth about Gluten 

Also we talked about O2. This is the most important part of our health! Check out this article!!!!!!! Click here – O2

* read the middle part of article.

Wishing you truly awesome health, as always!~

ps…..WAS THIS INFO HELPFUL?  IF YES, THEN PASS IT ON TO A FRIEND!!!!

My belief is that we have the ability – and that it’s in our destiny – to make the world into what we wish it to be.  Whether it’s the winter solstice or  ten-day countdown to a new year, we know it’s worth contemplating how we want to move our lives forward from here!

I believe that changing the world is something each of us can begin to do  from within. As unlikely as it might seem, how we think unquestionably affects the world around us. I like to consider it from a physiological standpoint: our brains are powerful sources of energy, producing electrical energy in the form of brain waves. Scientific experiments have actually revealed a magnetic field and have measured electricity several feet outside of the human head! And all energy travels. The energy produced by your brain inevitably influences the space around you and, to some degree, the rest of the world. Ever start thinking of somebody you hadn’t heard from in a while and suddenly you get a phone call from them? It’s happened to all of us and it might just be more than coincidence.

As we continue to learn more and more about the massive ability of the  brain and human consciousness, the new era we launch into might well be based more on psychological ‘technology’ than physical technology. I feel it’s inevitable that we’re going to learn things about how our minds influence the world that are currently unimaginable, as unimaginable perhaps as space travel or smart phones would have been to someone just a hundred years ago. It might just lead to a higher way of thinking capable of producing a far more evolved reality that we live in.

For me, the really exciting thing is that we can begin transforming and strengthening our brains right now, creating a more powerful energy around us, not to mention increasing our health, longevity, and happiness. The neurological system is, in fact, the core of our health and all it needs is to be fed the right stuff; namely, oxygen, nutrient rich blood. And this you create with your lifestyle. This can happen through proper diet (more plant foods) and outdoor exercise, two things we should all commit to in the new year. But there’s even a quicker, more effective way. Breathe! This is unquestionably the most influential thing for your health. Oxygen is the most nutritive thing we can put in our bodies.

In contrast, we can see what happens when the body is deprived of oxygen. And when is it most deprived? During times of stress. It’s a law of nature: under stress, we breathe less. And anyone in the scientific or medical field will agree that there is nothing more health degrading than stress. A challenge in today’s modern world is that there’s always at least some level of underlying stress – subtle, but it’s there simply because of how many ‘irons we have in the fire’ from busy lifestyles. We’re always thinking! Good news…breathing is the balancing remedy.  It makes our thinking more clear, efficient, and productive. Those scientific experiments I mentioned above have shown measurable improvement in our neurological electricity producing happy, healthy brains.

Breathe more in 2013! I challenge you. Try it right now! Stand up (tall!). Look away from your computer screen and take ten DEEP breaths. Well, go on!  I’ll wait. ………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………….well done.

Notice anything?  You just sent a substantial ripple effect through your body.  Done daily? – ripple effects.  Weekly?…tidal wave.  Monthly?…boom, transformation of health, happiness, longevity, relationships (even with in-laws).

Remember, the core of your health is the nervous system – the spinal cord, the brain. Feed it the most powerful ‘nutritive’ – O2!

Your brain is like a muscle. By taking this time to deliberately breathe deeply, you’re training your brain to serve your neurological system and every organ in your body.  You don’t have to call it meditation, you don’t have to sit in the lotus position and stare at a candle, though that might be great. But sit (or stand) tall and take five minutes to breathe. Believe it or not, it takes more concentration than we would imagine.  Say to yourself, ‘ok, 10 breaths!’  Counting makes it far easier to maintain concentration.  Otherwise, if you’re like me, you’ll go a few seconds before forgetting. You’ll discover in time this practice will become a habit– a lifesaving habit.  During moments of stress, with the brain being burdened by the tons of thinking we all do, you’ll find yourself automatically reverting to this balanced state that you have practiced; you’ll notice yourself breathing deeper on a consistent basis.  The more you practice this state, the more it becomes a permanent trait!  As mentioned, you will notice your thinking becoming clearer. It’ll make you healthier, it’ll make you happier. And you might be pleasantly surprised at how it can affect those around you – those that are near you…and maybe even those that are far away.

We brilliant humans are akin to do the ‘impossible’, ya know….a destiny written in the stars. The Mayans might have been onto something after all.   So take a deep breath and pass it on.

All the Best!~

Billy Merritt