You Throw Away Eggshells? After Reading This Article You Will Never Do That Again!

Calcium is very important in keeping the body functioning properly. Some of calciums main functions are creating bone mass and preventing osteoporosis, but calcium also helps normalize the function of nerves and muscles, helps regulate your heartbeat, helps you sleep, and helps promotes healthy skin and hair. It is also important in immunological activity of cells.

There are numerous factors that can reduce the calcium level in your body. Things like too much sitting, excessive coffee, alcohol consumption and carbonated beverages can all lower your body's calcium level. Women that are pregnant, women in menopause, men over the age of 50, and people suffering from digestive disorders are especially prone to calcium deficiency. Also, eggshells are especially beneficial for children because of their body's formation of bone tissue.

An eggshell contains over 90 percent calcium and is a natural source of 27 different minerals (such as: magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sodium, potassium, iron, sulfur, aluminum). The composition of eggshells resembles our teeth and bones, which makes it easy for the body to absorb. Also the protein of a shell is composed of such essential amino acids as methionine, cysteine, lysine, isoleucine. This makes eggshells an effective natural means to obtain calcium.

Moreover eggshells also contain iron, copper, manganese, zinc, fluorine, phosphorus, chromium and molybdenum. This is another reason why eggshells are a great way to add calcium to your body. The recommended daily dose is 1.5 to 3 grams of crushed shells.

Studies also showed accelerated healing when using eggshells for treating such orthopedic diseases as congenital dislocation of a hip or osteoporosis. When using eggshells for medicinal purposes it is important to use organic eggs to avoid any chemicals or antibiotics. Increasing the amount of eggshell calcium consumed can not only help treat a calcium deficiency and osteoporosis, but it can help with high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Additionally, eggshells can help with the production of blood cells.

Here are some ideas for what you can use them:

Cleanse your blood and strengthen your system
Wash and crush 5 eggshells into a fine powder. Mix the crushed eggshell powder into 10½ cups of water. Let the mixture stand in the refrigerator for 7 days prior to consumption. Drink 2 glasses of this mixture per day. If you would like to add some extra flavor to it you can add a few drops of fresh lemon juice to each glass. Store the mixture in the refrigerator.

Use eggshells to Treat Gastritis and Ulcer
Wash and crush 2 eggshells. Add 3 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and when the shells are softened, add about ½ a cup of hot milk. Consume the remedy two times per day. Consume it once in the morning after you wake up and once at night right before you go to bed. For the best results, try not to eat or drink anything before taking the remedy.

Use eggshells to treat Cavities
Eggshells provide the necessary amount of calcium to remineralize your teeth. Take about 8 to 10 eggshells and boil them for approximately 5 minutes. This will help remove any unwanted bacteria or pathogens from the eggshells. After boiling the eggshells let them air dry. Next, grind the eggshells into a fine powder (a coffee grinder works great for this). Take ½ teaspoon per day of the powder. It is not important how you ingest the eggshells, but that you ingest the eggshells. This means you can add it to your favorite smoothie or juice, mix with water for a quick ingestion or sprinkle into your meal!

How to Get Rid of Blackheads Naturally

Almost every human has blackheads and that is not pleasant occurrence. The most affected areas are the nose, chin and forehead. However, most of the people have blackheads on their nose and try to cover them with correctors and powder. Unfortunately that is not the solution.

Here is a simple yet effective way on how to get rid of blackheads

First, you need to remove all dead skin in order for the blackheads not to be trapped in pores. To succeed in this, you can make peeling and pay attention to the affected area.

Moisten your face, apply some piling mixture of your choice (you can use coffee grounds) and rub the affected area(s) with a towel or glove in gently circle motions. The rubbing should last from 5 to 10 minutes. Remember to rinse your face afterwards.

After that, you need to take a large bowl with hot water (you can use chamomile) and bow your head over it. Cover your head with a clean cloth in order to achieve better results. Thus blackheads will “open” (hold your head over the steam for about 10 minutes).

After you are done doing all that, prepare the mask which will help you clean your face

Ingredients needed:

• 4 tablespoon of baking soda
• 1 glass of mineral water

Method of preparation:

Mix the two ingredients well, until you get paste-like mixture.

Apply the resulting mixture onto your face and let it act for 10 minutes. Rinse afterwards. Remember to avoid the area around the eyes when you are applying the mask.

The results will be visible right away.

Dry your face and apply moisturizing cream.

How to Relieve Constipation With This Laxative Mineral

Do you struggle with constipation? 

Constipation is so prevalent today that the average person who is constipated doesn’t even know that they are. Some people think not going number 2 every day is normal and not such a big deal. Some people think that going every couple days is acceptable. The problem is we should not be so misinformed about such an important bodily function as moving the bowels. Our body has to get rid of the wastes or things get backed up and cause problems.

One key player in the constipation conundrum is the magnificent mineral; magnesium. Inadequate levels of magnesium in the body can cause constipation.

• Magnesium stimulates muscle contraction and peristalsis throughout the intestines and hydrates the stool.
• Inefficient stomach digestion and intestinal absorption can lead to deficiencies of magnesium. Worse yet, when magnesium is deficient absorption is hindered even more.
• Without enough magnesium, calcium will quickly be deposited in soft tissues throughout the body. (arteries, brain and even the bronchial tubes contributing/causing to asthma symptoms).
• Magnesium is absorbed into the bloodstream from the small intestine -at best only half to as little as 1/3 of the magnesium we ingest is absorbed.

For the past two years I taught a course called Heal Your Gut, and one key issue people joining the course all had was constipation. I’ve also found in my work with numerous clients that constipation is a serious problem. Due this major problem, many people need to know how to use magnesium as a remedy for constipation while they work to resolve the underlying issues causing the constipation in the first place.

Please note,  that the following information is meant as a short term remedy while ironing out the root problem of your constipation issue. It is SO critical to empty your bowels daily and not go more than 24 hours without a bowel movement.

Magnesium works well to open the bowel -so it’s a pretty easy and quick solution. Not to mention most people nowadays are deficient in magnesium. If you’ve used it as a constipation remedy, you may be tempted to continue to use it to solve your issue. This is not the best long term game plan, it’s always best to know the entire picture so testing via hair tissue mineral analysis is good plan to correct your biochemistry. However making sure you do get adequate magnesium in your diet/supplements  and/or through transdermal application will be a key piece of the puzzle.

Let’s talk about how to use magnesium safely, what forms, doses and what other areas of digestion magnesium supports as well.

Magnesium As An Overall Digestive Support

Magnesium got it’s name from the Greek city Magnesia, a place where large deposits of magnesium carbonate were found. Originally, this ‘salt’ was used as a laxative – since magnesium has a bowel purging effect. Magnesium stimulates good muscle contraction and peristalsis throughout the intestines and works to hydrate the stool. Typically, magnesium carbonate and magnesium sulfate are the forms used to relieve constipation.

2

Magnesium requires good stomach acid production for it’s absorption and uptake. We typically absorb about 40-50% of the magnesium we consume. Of course this can vary from person to person due to numerous factors such as; stomach acid levels, dietary habits, stress, the form of magnesium.  Magnesium is needed when our digestion is compromised -anyone with compromised digestion would do well to supplement while healing their gut.

Magnesium, as I said, is a very relaxing mineral also known as the ‘anti-stress’ mineral. How this impacts digestion is that it functions to relax the smooth muscles of blood vessels and the gastrointestinal tract. So, if you are someone who tends towards constipation issues getting adequate magnesium could go a long way to helping with that. In the short term, magnesium can be used to bowel tolerance in larger doses.

For example: Start with 4-6 tablets of a chelated magnesium with a 100 mg dosage ( Biotics Mg-Zyme is one option that provides 100 mg of elemental magnesium in the aspartate, gluconate and glycinate forms -the chelated forms that are best absorbed) at night/bedtime and increase by 1 per night to bowel tolerance, then reduce by one. That is your dose. (*Note: Most people can safely start with 600-800 mg, divided between meals).

You are looking for an easy to pass, loose but formed stool.  Use this method for up to a month to relieve constipation issues, while you iron out other possible issues contributing to your constipation – before adding in other minerals to balance with the magnesium. Adding 1 teaspoon of choline citrate daily for each 200 mg of magnesium taken can really help to aid absorption.

Take anywhere from 500 to 2000 mg daily. (When I first tried this 4 years ago I needed 1200 mg to get me to move my bowels.) If you do take magnesium during the day at all make sure it is very low dose, magnesium in larger doses can be very relaxing to the point it could make you drowsy.

If you are low in stomach acid you can take your magnesium or other minerals with one Hydrozyme (by Biotics) to help ensure you are able to assimilate it. It also wouldn’t hurt to take it with some fat -so a small amount of coconut oil or even 1 fish oil or black currant seed oil capsule if you can. Since magnesium is an alkaline mineral and can act like an antacid, if you take it with meals it could neutralize stomach acid and impair digestion.

Another option would be Aerobic Life Mag 07. It has a recommended cleanse on the back – take up to 5 capsules (this equals about 1725 mg of elemental mag – in ozonated mag oxide form) with 8-12 ounces of water on an empty stomach at bedtime for 7-10 days until desired cleanse has been attained. Then you would decrease the dose for maintenance – it is actually intended as a colon cleansing supplement -not as a mag. supplement. It has a stool softening effect and helps to rid the digestive track of unwanted debris. This has worked well for many of my clients early on in a protocol. I still recommend that you get to the root cause and resolve the underlying reasons you are constipated in the first place -rather than relying on a product like this as a crutch.

Note: High doses of magnesium are known to cause ‘a precipitous cleanse’. This is the very rapid expulsion of the stool when the magnesium finally kicks in and works. This can be unpredictable, as much as 6 hours later. That’s why I recommend taking the bulk of your dose at bedtime so you are at home near the bathroom, just in ‘case’. You will also notice as your tissue levels begin to restore that your body will tolerate less supplemental magnesium – a key indicator of this may be diarrhea. If you experience diarrhea that seems kind of strange consider lowering your magnesium dose. If you have IBS that is predominant with constipation and have alternating diarrhea with constipation, use the glycinate form of magnesium.

[Caution: If you have any kind of bowel obstruction, blockages or other more serious issues, please work with your health care practitioner before implementing any of this information on your own.]

Minerals & More Magnesium Insights

A healthy functioning bowel contains sodium, potassium and magnesium – elements that are truly lacking in our modern day diet. When these are lacking in the diet, they must be obtained from the tissues of the bowel wall, where they are stored. Therefore, we need to ensure we are obtaining these nutrients in our diets/supplements to avoid starving the bowel wall.

I personally feel a full mineral supplementation approach long term is best and the best way to assess your current mineral status is through a hair tissue mineral analysis test. However, if you are truly deficient in magnesium taking magnesium alone for a time is best. Calcium and magnesium compete for absorption, so in order to absorb all the magnesium you need it’s best to take it apart from calcium for some time.

Also, to note: elevated levels of calcium can also be a cause for constipation. Most Americans get enough dietary calcium or take calcium supplements. Testing for levels of both can be helpful – hair analysis is better than blood testing in this case. There are some kinds of lab work that can delineate specific magnesium compounds appropriate for each person’s individual chemistry. Two labs highly respected for their metabolic profiles include Vitamin Diagnostics and Body-Bio Corporation. (6)

Magnesium also activates enzymes that are important for protein and carbohydrate metabolism. It also modulates the electrical potential across cell membranes -this allows nutrients to actually pass back and forth as needed. Individuals with celiac disease and other intestinal disorders lose large amounts of magnesium in their stools, as much as four times as normal. In these individuals higher doses of magnesium will be needed longer term while healing the gut.

Magnesium is also antagonist to lead in the intestinal tract. So, if you are someone with lead toxicity – magnesium is your friend.

Tissue mineral analysis of the hair is likely the best way to assess magnesium status. Simply because the blood works hard to maintain normalcy of minerals, yet this comes at the expense of the tissue stores of magnesium.

Magnesium is very supportive to the liver as well, it helps it do it’s job more efficiently. It acts as an escort to move toxins through the liver to get further broken down. This includes estrogens or other exogenous hormones.

Magnesium Forms To Supplement With

Forms to take: more easily assimilated – magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, magnesium fumerate, magnesium aspartate, and magnesium malate. Aspartate is not recommended to take long term because it can give the body too much aspartic acid.

If you do not want the laxative effect of magnesium, look for magnesium taurate, glycinate or orotate. These are amino acid chelates that have less of an effect on the intestines and is good for those who tend to get loose stools. Mag. taurate is more easily transported across the cell membranes, thanks to the taurine in it. This form is best for anyone with any cardiovascular issues, especially anyone who has had a heart attack. Keep in mind, magnesium needs to be paired with B6 and boron to help it get inside the cells properly.

Magnesium ‘oil’ is yet another way to rebuild your intracellular levels of magnesium and it bypasses digestion altogether. Adding this to supplemental oral magnesium could be really key in helping those with severe magnesium deficiencies. I like this spray bottle from Ancient Minerals. You can also make your own-see this recipe for instructions. 6 sprays on each leg = approx. 400 mg. It takes about 30 minutes for the magnesium to get absorbed. This method needs some planning and patience, however if you use it for 4-6 weeks straight, you can restore intracellular levels (using a concentration of 25% mag. chloride – based on a study done by Dr. Norman Shealy).

Forms for kids: I like to use Peter Gilham’s Natural Calm – my kids like the flavor and we affectionately call it ‘magnesium water‘. They drink a small glass after dinner or right near bedtime. 2 tsp. of the powder has 325 mg. I only use 1 tsp. at a time for them. This product is a nice lower dose safe and effective for kids. Adults can use this form/brand as well, though I often find it is not a large enough dose for many people. It also does not contain boron or B6 so you’ll need to get those nutrients in the diet.

When to take: Take your first dose first thing in the morning, maybe one in the afternoon and the bulk of your daily dose at bedtime. Once you find your bowel tolerance level, you can divide it up and spread it out through the day. For example, if you find your bowel tolerance is 1000 mg, you can take 200 in the morning, 200 mid-afternoon and 600 at bedtime. I usually try to look for brands that have the capsules in 100 mg or 250 mg dosages, so I can divide the dosage up more evenly. If you find you need a high dose of magnesium you could break up your dose by using both the oil and an oral supplement of magnesium. I like to use the spray at bedtime, however it can sting or feel sticky so I don’t do it that way every day and I vary the parts of my body that I spray to help reduce the ‘sting’ it can have. Magnesium oil added to a foot bath is also a nice option several times per week.

Magnesium Rich Foods

Processed foods are stripped of their magnesium content and modern day soils are also greatly depleted of their magnesium content. So, if it’s not even in the soil to begin with and then any left is further stripped away by the refining process and you’re eating a processed foods diet – you are in big trouble.

A properly prepared nutrient dense diet, such as those taught through the Weston Price Foundation, Paleo/Primal diets or the GAPS protocol will be imperative to get adequate dietary magnesium. Not to mention purchasing fresh produce grown in healthy mineral rich soil – home gardens, CSA’s, organic/biodynamic farms, Farmer’s Markets.

Many of the foods rich in magnesium are actually foods that can be problematic for folks healing their guts and on eliminations diets -so I will focus on the foods that contain adequate magnesium that are more gut friendly.

• Bone broth
• Sea Salt
• Kelp/Dulse/Seaweed
• Most Nuts
• Pseudo grains like Millet & Buckwheat (properly soaked and prepared)
• Brewer’s Yeast
• Cocoa/Cacao
• Leafy greens
• Herbs (Such as; purslane, cilantro, nettles, burdock, chickweed, dandelion)
• Mineral Water (for ex: Adobe Springs and Santa Ynex from the US both contain a decent amount of magnesium and low calcium. This would be a good supplemental source to help those with extreme deficiencies).

In summary, everyone should be taking supplemental magnesium today, as well as working hard to ensure their food sources are rich in minerals.  Collectively, we (namely Americans) are extremely deficient in all minerals this day and age, magnesium is only one of them  (Not to mention, magnesium is easily lost from the body in a variety of ways). Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis is an excellent way to assess overall mineral status in the body.

The Best Cooking Methods for Cancer Prevention

Did you know that some cooking methods can reduce your risk of getting cancer? Many studies have shown that our nutrition has a crucial influence on our health, including reducing the risk of serious diseases like cancer. You probably know that it is better to eat whole grains, and that you should incorporate plenty of fresh vegetables in your diet. But did you know that what’s important is not only what you eat, but also how you cook your food? For example minced or chopped garlic is better for cancer prevention than a whole clove of garlic, and it’s best to soak potatoes in water before putting them in the oven.  So here are some of the best cooking methods for cancer prevention:

Broccoli

I wrote in the past about the the anti-cancer properties of cruciferous vegetables, and indeed broccoli is a great source of sulforaphane, a component which laboratory studies have found has impressive anti-cancer capabilities. The enzyme myrosinase, which is found in broccoli, is essential to the formation of sulforaphane. If you destroy this enzyme while over-cooking brocolli, you also damage the anti-cancer properties of this vegetable. A research presented in November 2013 at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) compared between regular cooking, microwave cooking and steaming of broccoli and found that steaming the vegetable for up to five minutes is the best way to preserve the enzyme myrosinase. Cooking and heating in the microwave for a minute or less destroyed most of the enzymes. A study published two years earlier in the journal “Nutrition and Cancer” found that eating broccoli sprouts that contain large amounts of the enzyme myrosinase with broccoli increased the formation of sulforaphane.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene which is associated with reducing the risk of various types of cancer. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, it is recommended to cook tomatoes for a few minutes, as such cooking releases the lycopene that is better absorbed than lycopene found in tomatoes that haven’t been cooked. Adding a little bit of olive oil to cooked tomatoes will further increase the amount of lycopene absorbed in the body.

Garlic

If you crush or chop garlic and then wait 10-15 minutes before exposing it to heat, a  phytochemical called allicin is formed which helps to fight many diseases. Allicin is created in a chemical reaction between a component called alliin and the enzyme alliinase. When the garlic is whole, the alliin and the alliinase are separated, but when chopping or mincing the garlic it makes them mix together and create allicin. So before exposing the chopped garlic to heat, it’s best to wait because heat destroys the enzyme alliinase, so let the enzyme do its job for a while before cooking the garlic. I’ve already written an article about the health benefits of garlic and how to use garlic as a medicine and you can also read my other article about 6 common mistakes when using garlic as an antibiotic.

Potatoes 

Potatoes are one of the foods that create a chemical called acrylamide in certain cooking methods. Studies have found that high levels of acrylamide may increase the risk of cancer in animals, and many experts believe that it is likely that this is also the case in humans. In general, the chances of acrylamide formation increase when the food is prepared for longer periods in high temperatures, such as frying, grilling or baking. Recommendations published by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2013, don’t recommend to store potatoes in the refrigerator because this may increase the formation of acrylamide while baking or frying. It is recommended to store potatoes in a cool dark place such as a cupboard or pantry. In addition, it is recommended to soak the potato pieces in water for 15-30 minutes before frying or baking them to reduce the amount of chemicals that will be created in the process.

According to the FDA, when comparing frying, grilling and baking potatoes, frying causes the largest formation of acrylamide. However cooking in water and microwave preparation of whole potatoes in their skins don’t form acrylamide.

Note – if you choose to fry potatoes, for example chips, fry them until they are golden but not brown, as brown areas contain more acrylamide.

Bread

As with potatoes, over-heating bread forms acrylamide. Therefore the FDA recommends to prepare the toast until it is a light brown color and not dark brown. If there are very dark areas, avoid eating them.

Meat 

Studies show that there is a link between the extent of meat preparation to the risk associated with various types of cancer. Heating meat at high temperatures causes the formation of components that can harm our DNA and increase the risk of cancer. The best way to avoid this is to prepare the meat at a lower temperature. Prefer cooking and baking meat over frying and grilling, especially grilling over charcoal. If you do decide to grill the meat over the charcoal, it is recommended to grill over coals that had been turned gray and not over the flames and remove burnt parts to reduce the damage. To help prevent the formation of cancer-causing components, it is advisable to turn the meat often and keep fanning it. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, marinating meat with herbs and spices before grilling it may reduce the formation of carcinogens.

Herbs

As I’ve already written in my e-book The Herbal Remedies Guide, herbs not only add flavor and color to food but they also have powerful medicinal properties. New studies raise the possibility that herbs may also play a role in cancer prevention. For example, experts in the American Institute for Cancer Research say that rosemary contains a substance known as carnosol which may inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors. Rosemary is also one of the herbs in my top 10 culinary herbs for your health.

Fruits and vegetables

Eat fruits and vegetables with their skins. The skin is loaded with anti-cancer phytochemicals. For example, if you eat an apple with its skin, you receive 75 % more quercetin, which is an anti-cancer component, in comparison to a peeled apple. If you cannot buy organic produce, you can reduce the damage by easily removing pesticides from your fruits and vegetables – see more detailshere.

Cooking vegetables for a long time causes them to lose water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and folic acid and some phytochemicals. To maximize the anti-cancer potential of vegetables, the American Institute for Cancer Research recommends that you steam them, bake them in the oven or stir fry them. If you still want to cook the vegetables, add enough water just to cover the bottom of the pot and cook just until the vegetables are tender.

It is also recommended to add to vegetables a little bit of healthy fat – like olive oil, avocado, tahini and nuts – because fat helps absorb healthy nutrients like beta-carotene and fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, E and K.

You Have About 30 Pounds Of Poison In Your Colon. Here is What You Can Do

The colon is a vital part of a healthy, functioning body. It plays a role in digestion, in your immune system, and in maintaining the water balance in your body. The colon is the part of the large intestine extending from the cecum to the rectum. A colon that is not working properly will hold toxic waste longer than is good for you. An unhealthy colon is one that does not move the waste along efficiently enough. It  results in this toxic waste being absorbed by the wall of the colon and into the bloodstream. For a healthy colon, it takes less than 24 hours for food to transit through our body. But with modern eating habits (processed food that lacks enzymes, fibers and nutrients) the transit time slows down to 70 hours.  This results in a toxic colon and up to 30 pounds of accumulated waste. 

And the most common sign of having a toxic colon is a condition called constipation.   Constipation occurs when waste materials move too slowly through the large bowel, resulting in infrequent and/or painful elimination.

Toxic colon Symptoms:

• Digestive symptoms
  Constipation, bloating, diarrhea, gas, indigestion, stomach pain
• General health 
  Joint pain, muscle pain
• Behavioral symptoms
  Depression, fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, mood swings, poor memory
• Immune system
  Weak immune system, recurrent vaginal or bladder infections, skin rashes

Bernard Jensen DC, ND, PhD is one of the pioneers who used colon cleansing to improve a person’s quality of life. In his book, Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management, he explains the importance of colon cleansing: “the heavy mucus coating in the colon thickens and becomes a host of putrefication. The blood capillaries to the colon begin to pick up the toxins, poisons and noxious debris as it seeps through the bowel wall. All tissues and organs of the body are now taking on toxic substances. Here is the beginning of true autointoxication on a physiological level. This accumulation can have the consistency of truck tire rubber. It’s that hard and black.”

The Easiest Homemade Colon Cleanser

Master Cleanse is a 10-16 day cleansing program developed in 1940 by alternative health practitioner, Stanley Burroughs. In 1976, Burroughs presented his cleansing program to the world through a book titled The Master Cleanser.

Ingredients

(single serving):

• 2 Tablespoons of organic lemon Juice (about 1/2 a Lemon)
• 2 Tablespoons of Organic grade B maple syrup (not the commercial maple flavored syrup you use on pancakes) – you can find it here here
• 1/10 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper powder
• Ten ounces of filtered water

 

Directions

Mix everything together. Drink this mixture 5 to 8 times per day for a minimum of 10 days.

You can also supplement with essential oils. They help to support the detoxification process of the body, while increasing the uptake of other nutrients and minerals to help your body re-balance. Therapeutic grade essential oils are effective because their nutrients are readily assimilated on a cellular level.

Ingredients

· Juice from 1 organic Lemon
·10 drops each Lemon and Peppermintessential oils, 2 drops On Guard blend

Directions

·Combine in 8 ounces of purified water
·Daily, you can drink over a period of time
·Time period: 14 days

10 Different Teas That Will Help Boost Your Metabolism and Promote Weight Loss

It's about that time of year where we're fed up of feeling the extra flab and ready to do something about it besides going to the gym. One of the most underrated methods of spiking our metabolism is through antioxidant rich teas. Some teas are actually more than 90% more effective at helping the body burn fat than coffee. While green tea has made most of the headlines in this regard, there are many others which are even more effective and go way beyond weight loss with the ability to detox, help tooth decay and even keep cancer at bay.

1) Star Anise Tea - Promotes Digestion 

Star anise, the fruit of a small evergreen tree (Illicium verum) native to China, can be used in the treatment of digestive troubles such an upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea etc. One may drink a tea made from it by steeping a whole pod in one cup of hot water for 10 minutes. Strain this and sweeten it if required. Sip on this slowly when an upset stomach occurs.

2) Porangaba tea - Assists In Fat Loss

The tea plant produces red fruit that resembles coffee beans. These plants grow in South America and are sold at most beach vendors in Brazil. Porangaba Tea is Brazil’s weight loss potion, containing caffeine, allantoin, allantoic acid and even potassium. It has been reported to aid in boosting weight loss, reducing appetite, acting as a diuretic and even reducing fatty deposits and cellulite. Porangaba also suppresses the appetite leading to less food intake minus the crash.The recommended dose is 1 tea bag 30 minutes sipping before every meal.

3) Peppermint Tea - Controls What You Eat 

Peppermint tea speeds up digestion and thus helps you burn more calories. The peppermint leaves can be used to make a light, refreshing tea, which can be taken either hot or chilled. To prepare the tea, take a tablespoon of fresh or dried leaves and add them to boiling water and let it steep for four to five minutes. Strain and add honey, if needed.

4) White Tea - Stimulates Fat Burning

Made from the youngest leaves and buds, white tea is your best bet to reduce fluoride exposure compared to other teas. White tea has also been found more effective than green tea in fighting germs. White tea has an anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal effect. White tea stops the generation of new fat cells and at the same time stimulates the burning of fat. White tea leaves can withstand longer infusion times than other tea types before pouring. It is usual to steep for 7 to 10 minutes.

5) Green Tea - Builds Metabolism 

Research says the chemical EGCG found in green tea that speeds up the body's metabolism, is responsible for helping people lose the kilos - it can burn a whopping 70 calories a day! According to 17 clinical trials, green tea is linked with significantly lower blood sugar. Green tea also raises the level of antioxidants. It's believed the antioxidant catechins in green tea boost metabolism and helps burn fat. Caution is warranted on green tea as some sources appear to contain excessive levels of sodium fluoride, so try and stick to organic sources. Steeping time for the tea: two to three minutes at 85 Degrees Celsius.

6) Yerba Mate - Stimulates HDL (good) Cholesterol

In South America, Yerba Mate has been grown and taken medicinally for centuries. It's also a cancer killer. Some of the most important antioxidant enzymes in the body are induced by mate. It is rich in polyphenols and displays high antioxidant activity. Mate tea drinkers experience a significant increase in the activity of an enzyme that promotes HDL (good) cholesterol which prevents fats from oxidizing. Mate is traditionally steeped and served in a hollow calabash gourd (itself called a mate) and drunk through a metal straw called a bombilla. You can also make mate in a standard automatic coffee maker. Just put the mate where you would normally put the coffee grounds.

7) Rose Tea - Prevents Constipation 

One of the oldest flavoring teas available, rose tea - made by mixing fresh roses and the bud of the tea - has a major therapeutic effect on the human body. Apart from clearing toxins and beautifying the skin, rose tea contains vitamins A, B3, C, D and E and is known to act against infections. It also prevents constipation and helps one lose weight. It is also possible to make rose petal tea using just fresh rose petals. Clean the petals under running water. Place 1 - 2 cups rose petals in a saucepan filled with 3 cups of water. Boil for five minutes, strain and pour.

8) Feiyan Tea - Detox, Suppress Appetite

Feiyan tea is an infusion prepared from medicinal plants which contain effective components for anti-Hyperlipemia and reducing fat accumulation. Regular intake of this tea helps improve your metabolism, reduces bloatedness,  suppress your appetite, detoxify your body and gets rid of extra fat. The tea is considered to have no chemical additives and is safe for regular consumption with no known side effects. Soak 1 slimming tea bag in approx. 150ml of boiled water for 5-10min. Take 1 bag at night to begin with, after a week then use 1 tea bag in the morning and 1in the evening after meals. One month of administration has shown reductions of body weight up to 5-8 pounds, however steady weight gain after the first month is common once the body adapts.

9) Oolong Tea - Guards Against Obesity 

Research reveals that oolong, a semi-fermented tea may have a stronger effect than even green tea, promoting fat burning up to 157% better.Oolong tea blocks oxidation by 50% in just 15 days. Research suggests that oolong tea increases metabolism, burns fat and blocks fat absorption. Besides weight loss, it is beneficial for type 2 diabetics, patients with heart diseases, reduces high blood pressure, prevents tooth decay and improves your skin thanks to antioxidants. Some research concluded that oolong reduces cholesterol and increases plasma adiponectin levels which saves you from the epidemic of obesity. Steep oolong tea anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes, for a more full-bodied cup.

10) Pu erh Tea - Increases Metabolism, Digestion 

In China, this is known as medicinal tea, but it is apparently a good hangover cure as well. Pu erh tea increases metabolism, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, improve digestion and detoxifies the body. There are two ways to brew this pu erh tea: The Western way and the Chinese way. The Western method involves the same steps as brewing hibiscus tea. While the Chinese method of brewing involves several steps from rinsing the leaves with hot water to steeping the leaves in a particular temperature.

The Missing Mineral You Need to Prevent Insulin Resistance ...

Recently, in my post ‘How To Decrease Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Just A Few Weeks‘, I shared that blood sugar can be well managed through your diet. Today, I’m here to share a bit more about the missing mineral you need to prevent insulin resistance in case just diet alone isn’t cutting it for some of you.

The truth is, while diet is a primary way to maintain health, often it is too broad to fix underlying imbalances.

One key reason is that most of us have serious mineral imbalances and if we don’t know exactly what they are we can’t correct them through diet alone. 

That said, the missing mineral that is playing into the issue of insulin resistance (and diabetes): chromium.

Chromium: The Missing Mineral You Need to Prevent Insulin Resistance A deficiency of biologically active chromium can lead to insulin resistance. WHY?... 

First let’s look at the issues of why chromium is missing….. Not enough in the diet to begin with (processed foods/soil depletion). Excessive loss due to constant high sugar diet and or refined/processed foods diet. Or the body’s inability to convert chromium into it’s biologically active form.

Soil depletion and our diets are key reasons chromium is missing for most everyone these days (namely in the United States). The modern day S.A.D diet (Standard American Diet), both due to processing/refining and excessive intake of starches and sugars, spells disaster for the blood sugar as well as that it does not contain much if any chromium to begin with in addition to further depleting any chromium the body does actually obtain. Let’s discuss further……..... 


The Important Role of Chromium for Proper Insulin Function Chromium is crucial to insulin function. Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas. A hormones function is to deliver messages, their life is dedicated to communication.

Insulin has more functions than just to lower blood sugar. It’s message or function is to facilitate the entry of glucose into the cell (into the mitochondria or fat storage). It tells it to go into the cell or to store it. Additionally, the pancreas requires chromium (and zinc) to make insulin in the first place.

Chromium is a trace mineral that works to create enzymatic reactions. The enzymes that are triggered at the binding site need chromium to work. The enzymes with chromium activate insulin’s message ( essentially, chromium stimulates the activity of the enzymes that are involved in glucose metabolism- the biologically active form acts as an insulin co-factor). Gosh I so wish the medical community (aka: Doctors) were teaching this information to type 1 and 2 diabetics alike.

The more insulin used by the body the more chromium is used as well. Every time there is an insulin action there is a greater need for chromium. The more chromium is used the more chromium is excreted by the kidneys. So, the more sugars/starches you eat, and the more stress you have,  the more chromium is needed and expended by your body.


Also, the body will compensate by producing MORE insulin when the insulin is already in secretion or use and can’t get into the cells effectively due to a lack of chromium, (aka: the missing mineral). Essentially, we could say that this deficiency of chromium increases insulin requirements.

In this situation, even diet alone cannot control something like diabetes. This missing mineral may also explain a lot, especially to those who monitor their blood sugar and can’t always explain high blood glucose readings and even low blood glucose readings. Anyone that is insulin dependent will likely become deficient in chromium because the more insulin used/needed (think long term here too) the more chromium is depleted.

This makes sense due to the modern diet -even if you have been eating whole foods for awhile – you likely didn’t growing up eating a nutrient dense whole foods diet. Not to mention most soil is very mineral poor and only getting worse. Your food is only as mineral rich as the soil it was raised in or on.

So, what happens when we are deficient in chromium; insulin doesn’t work properly. The body’s system for using and storing energy won’t work if there isn’t enough chromium.  A huge conundrum indeed!

Hair Tissue Levels of Chromium Just to share from my own personal observation, I’ve not seen one single client with adequate chromium levels on their hair tissue mineral analysis test results. And, Dr. Wilson (Nutritional Balancing Pioneer reading hair analysis for 30 or so years now), says in his book; Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis, that everyone is deficient in chromium and likely needs a supplement. He also says that when chromium shows low on a hair test that it indicates more severe deficiency in most cases (a good hair tissue range is: 0.12 – 0.16 mg% ). In reviewing over 50 hair analysis tests, I’ve noticed that the majority of people only show about 0.06 mg% or less -that is less than half the optimal level (optimal level (optimal is .12 mg%)

Refined Foods Don’t Contain Chromium “It seems, therefore, that we Americans are bent on “refining” ourselves into a chromium deficiency; the ultimate result of which is a significant glucose intolerance in the human body. This rather unhappy distinction of the United States is not shared by other countries that do not refine their foods. In a series of tests on men between the ages of twenty and fifty-nine, the amount of chromium found in the heart artery was 1.9 parts per million (ppm) in American men, 5.5 ppm in African men, 11 ppm in men from the Near East, and 15 ppm in men from the Far East. This evidence is one source of speculation which proves that there is indeed a definite link between the over-consumption of refined foods and a chromium deficiency.” ~ William H. Philpott, MD; Victory Over Diabetes.

When we consume or refine sugar or grains we strip the chromium from them. There is also a severe reduction of chromium in our soil today as well. 

How To Get More Chromium.

We must get chromium through food, as our bodies do not make chromium. It may not always be possible to get enough through diet, just about anyone could benefit from supplemental chromium. Most multi-vitamin supplements contain chromium. Chromium is also a difficult mineral to absorb.

 However, here are some key foods that contain chromium....

Brewer’s Yeast – This is probably the best option, however not everyone tolerates yeast very well. If you tolerate yeast, this is a great option. 1-3 Tbsp. daily of Brewer’s Yeast (also can be found in capsules-start out with a small amount first to make sure you tolerate it well). One good brand is Lewis Labs Brewer’s Yeast (add to soups for a nice hit of nutrition – great source of potassium too). 

Beef 

Liver 

Oysters 

Raw Butter 

or Ghee 

Eggs (mainly the yolks) 

Chicken and Turkey 

Potatoes, mainly in the skin.

Broccoli (depending on the soil) – 1/2 cup can contain about 11 mcg of chromium Whole grains with the germ still in tact- For ex: 1/4 cup of oats contains about 5.38 mcg (again, depending on the soil quality).

Beer (yes, beer may actually have some nutritional value Particularly in home brewed -quality matters here)

Whole Sugar forms that have not been refined – such as molasses. But in small amounts because sugar increases a need for insulin.

From what I can tell through my research, a daily recommended dose for adult women is about 25 mcg per day and for adult males is 35 mcg per day – children need much less (lactating women need around 44-45 mcg daily).

Keep in mind, good digestion will be key in assimilating the chromium in your foods. It’s possible one may need to consume more than the recommended amount to actually assimilate enough.

This is why supplemental chromium can be very helpful -especially for anyone with blood sugar issues (insulin resistance, diabetes; both Type 1 and Type 2, and hypoglycemia as well).

Thankfully, chromium is absorbed well in many supplemental forms. Please discuss dosage with your health care practitioner. [Caution: Using supplemental chromium may reduce need for insulin – if you are insulin dependent please work with your doctor/health care practitioner to properly monitor your insulin and glucose levels].

Some key health issues that may really benefit from supplemental chromium are: decreased and increased blood sugar levels, diabetes, morning sickness, low HDL with high cholesterol, general pancreas support, general fatigue, psoriasis and to support increase in lean muscle mass. 

(Source: Clinical Reference Guide for Biotics Research)