Be a lean, mean, power machine!

Hi readers!  Let’s kick the month right by answering the question of how to maximize your workouts!  Since I know we all have extremely busy schedules, the more effective yur workouts are, the less time you’ll waste, the more calories you’ll burn and the more you can get done during the day at work or see your friends and family at night!  

Eat protein after your workout for lean muscles!

So, many have asked me what is the best thing to eat before or after a workout to be be toned and slim? This is a big concern for most of us during bathing suit season and all year round by trainers, athletes and exercise aficionados! If you are exercising to tone, stay energetic, and lose fat I have a few great suggestions for you. The best thing to take both before and after your workout is spirulina, which is an algae that you can buy online in either in a tablet form (easy to carry around) or as a powder. It’s a lot easier to carry it in tablet form which is why I founded our company to sell algae in tab form. We call our algae tabs “bits” because they are, in fact little “bits” of protein and nourishment. I’d love to have you learn more about them and maybe even try some so please check them out at any of our websites www.skinnybits.com, www.energybits.com, www.recoverybits.com or www.vitalitybits.com. The best “bits” to take for your workouts are ENERGYbits because they are 100% organic spirulina. For years, I heard so much about the benefits of spirulina so years ago (before I started my company) I started taking it before and after my own workouts to see if everything they say about it is true. It is! Its amazing! You will not fatigue or get hungry if you take spirulina before your workout. This is because spirulina algae is OVER 60% protein and is nitrogen-based (so it helps your body get more nitric oxide which allows more blood and oxygen to get to your cells, brain and muscles). Sweet!  And, as you have likely heard from trainers, the best thing to eat AFTER your workout is protein which helps build muscle (instead of fat). So, since spirulina has 12 x the amount of available protein as steak….  I would also recommend you take ENERGYbits (or any kind of spirulina) after your workout as well!  This will not only get protein immediately into your body, it will also cut your hunger (helpful for weight loss) and will also bring oxygen to your cells so that you won’t have muscle soreness (from excess lactic acid that may have been generated from your workout).

Almost as important as knowing what to eat after a workout is knowing what NOT to eat. New research has shown that circuit training (short bursts of fast paced activities, followed by weightlifting repetitions, followed by breaks) is the best exercise for fat burning and for getting your bodyto release HGH (Human Growth Hormone) which is what keeps you energetic and youthful. So, if you want to get the most fat burning benefits and HGH benefits from your workout, you should not eat anything with sugar (or high fructose corn syrup a.k.a. HFCS) for the two hours after your workout. Why? Because research has shown that eating anything that contains fructose or sugar after a workout interferes with your body’s ability to burn fat or create HGH. Translation….no fruit, no simple carbs, no chocolate, no candy, no juice or anything with sugar for 2 hours after your workout. Instead, eat protein. This means things like eggs, chicken, spirulina, chlorella, hemp or rice protein powder, seeds/nuts. If you want, you can also eat salads (no salad dressing other than olive oil) or other vegetables, but if you want the best results, eat mostly protein.. If you do this after your workouts, you will burn more fat after your work out, get toned faster, and achieve or keep a slim, strong body!

So, here’s to a great workout and a toned body that will not only get you lots of compliments on the beach but more importantly, will keep you strong and limber and help you get through your day with strength and energy

Affectionately yours,

Catharine Arnston

Happiness is the BEST Nutrition!

Whatever makes you happy is food for your body and your soul!

I know you’re probably scratching your head wondering why I have  has posted a picture of pink shoes in a nutrition blog??? Well its because I love shoes! And either having or seeing a terrific pair of shoes makes me feel happy! Maybe that’s why so many of us love fashion so much – it not only helps us feel beautiful but it makes us happy as we create visual masterpieces in our mind or on our body…if only for a day!! If you want to learn more about the science behind our emotions like happiness, I encourage you to read an excellent book called The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton PhD http://www.brucelipton.com who describes the cascading physical affect of chemicals on your body when you are either feeling happiness or stress/pain! Its certainly worth the read….maybe even a couple of times! But if you don’t have time to read the book, do at least check out this fun, short video of Conan O’Brian interviewing Louis CK who reminds us in a very amusing way how easy it is to be happy and grateful! Enjoy!  And if you want to feel happier about what you’re eating, please consider adding algae tabs to your diet. Your body will flip with happiness and excitement when you start giving it algae. Algae is the most nutritionally dense food in the world and endorsed by The World Bank, The United Nations and NASA…just to mention a few. You can learn more or purchase algae tabs (we playfully call ours BITS) from our websites at www.skinnybits.com, www.recoverybits.com or www.naughtybits.com. Your body thanks you. And so do we. With great affection,  Catharine Arnston

EAT TO BEAT CANCER

It’s finally summer time and time to celebrate! My priority here is keep you informed about how to have a great life, lots of love and endless fun- some of it even naughty! But this week a good friend of mine had someone in his family diagnosed with cancer. This comes on the heels of another good friend being diagnosed with lung cancer, my younger sister being diagnosed with breast cancer 3 years ago (which is what got me focused on nutrition and helping others be healthy).

I am so fortunate to have had my sister fully recover but there are many who are not so lucky. My wonderful colleague, Emily Cash recently lost  her father and both her grandfathers to cancer in the same year. That’s just not right.  BTW, Emily’s family has started their own charity dedicated to raising money for funding for progressive cancer research. Check out their mission at www.cashmemorial.org. Did you know that estimates are that 2 of 3 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime? That’s unacceptable to me and I hope its unacceptable to you too. Want to protect yourself and your family? You can.

So here’s the scoop. Recently I found yet another article stating that breast cancer is being cured just with a particular vitamin. Harvard Medical School also claims this vitamin cures 77% of ALL other cancers.   Here is the link to the article.

I’ve done a lot of research on this topic (almost 2 years) and I am now pretty convinced that the power of this vitamin to heal cancer and other illnesses is legitimate. So what vitamin is it, you ask? Is it expensive? Exotic? New? Rare? Imported? Bizarre? Well, the answer to all of these questions is no, no, no, no, no, no and no. The vitamin that seems to provide this amazing ability to heal cancer is nothing more pedestrian than Vitamin D3. No fanfare. No marching band, no drum roll, no dazzling lights, no paparazzi. Nope. Nadda. Nothing. Just plane old, frumpy Vitamin D3 that’s been around for over a century. So how did we miss this until now? Well sometimes the best things are staring us in the face but we don’t see them because they are just well, so obvious. This recently happened to me but for something else. So look, we all potentially have a solution for wiping out breast cancer – just take Vitamin D3!  Trouble is, this seems so simple that no one believes it. At least not yet.

Do you even know where most Vitamin D3 comes from? Can you guess? Its from the lanolin oil in sheep’s wool! That’s right. Sheep’s wool! It makes total sense when you think about it because the process is the same for sheep as it is for us. Our skin gets irradiated from the sun, molecules then form Vitamin D3 and then this oil is absorbed through our skin so that it can strengthen our immune system and do a host of other great things for us! The process is the same with sheep but with them, the oil stays on their wool (instead of being absorbed into the skin like with us). Here’s an even cooler factoid. Did you know that one of the reasons that dogs lick themselves is to ingest the Vitamin D that is created on their fur from sunlight? What a riot eh? And hey I don’t make this stuff up! So just think – we could possibly wipe out cancer just be giving everyone Vitamin D3. Currently over 90% of all American’s are Vitamin D deficient and its worse in cities (where skyscrapers block the sun) and for the elderly who rarely get outside. Virtually everyone in the USA north of Atlanta is Vitamin D deficient because the sun isn’t strong enough for our bodies to make Vitamin D between September and May. Of course the good news is that now you have a legitimate reason to get your bathing suit on and get down to the nearest beach because when you get your D3 from the sun, its FREE!!

Other Foods help cure Cancer too!

OK, we’re on the home stretch here, but I want to leave you with a few final thoughts because, its not just Vitamin D that will help prevent or fight cancer, you need to watch everything you eat! So here are a few tips: Sugar FEEDS cancer so if you have been diagnosed with cancer, you should eliminate all sugars from your diet (including fruit). And, since cancer cannot exist in an oxygenated state, you need to eat foods that bring oxygen and antioxidants to your cells. These are foods that are alkaline and rich in antioxidants such as greens, green tea and algae. Algae is the most alkaline food in the world and fortunately you can buy it small tablet form (we call ours Bits) from our websites at www.skinnybits.com or www.recoverybits.com or www.naughtybits.com and you can buy greens and green tea at whole foods www.wholefoods.com or your local grocer.

And as a final suggestion, I would urge you to look at booking into any one of the many excellent alternative health care centers in the USA that are dedicated to helping people become healthier or to heal from cancer through nutrition and green diets. The best one I can recommend is The Hippocrates Health Institute in Palm Beach Florida. www.hippocratesinst.org.

So as you dance to your own beat this summer, I’d like to leave you with the thought that to BEAT cancer, just take away the letter B, and you are left with EAT. You already know that in the best of times you are what you eat, but in the worst of times don’t forget that it’s possible to BEAT cancer by what you EAT.

My love to all of you who may have cancer, have lived through cancer or know of anyone with cancer. In fact if you know anyone with cancer, PLEASE share this post and the linked article with them so they will know about the importance of Vitamin D3. You could save their life. Now that’s a gift worth giving!

With great affection,

Catharine Arnston
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Part 2 is finally here…why antioxidants are good for you!

Antioxidants are GOOD for you, unlike your scary Aunty Oxidant

Hi readers!  As promised, here is  PART 2 about why foods with  antioxidants are GREAT for you, unlike your distant and scary Aunty Oxidant you see here on the left who you hope won’t ever come to dinner at your house!). Unlike her, you DO want antioxidants around.  As you may recall, in my last post we explored the reasons WHY antioxidants are good for your bodies!  Now …  I want you to learn how to get your hands on some!

What foods should I look for that are high in antioxidants?

There are two categories of antioxidants: water soluble, such as Vitamin C, and fat soluble, such as vitamins A and E.  Vitamin C is the most abundant water-soluble antioxidant in the body. The best food sources for this are fruits, berries, guavas and peppers. Fortunately, something called the ORAC Value (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) was developed a number of years ago that measures the antioxidant values of foods.  BUT keep in mind the ORAC value ONLY measures water soluble antioxidants (like vitamin C), so it heavily fruit–oriented. This makes it ONLY half valuable because it totally ignores the equally, and some would say, even MORE valuable fat soluble antioxidants!

Fruits and leafy greens = awesome antioxidant power!

So do NOT be swayed by fancy marketing campaigns that promote their high ORAC scores because there are way more powerful antioxidants like Vitamin A, E.  But just to give you an idea of how this works, three of the highest rating ORAC foods are Goji Berries (ORAC 25,000), Spirulina (ORAC 9,600), and Blueberries (2,400). Drinks like green tea (ORAC 2,700) and Yerba Matte (ORAC 5,100) are also very high and very good for you. By the way, my favorite brand of Yerba Matte is from www.ecoteas.com. You can also buy it at Wholefoods!

Vitamin A and Beta Carotene (vegetable form of vitamin A) are fat soluble vitamins that are necessary to keep our cell membranes healthy. You should ALWAYS try to get your vitamin A and beta carotene by eating real food because your body absorbs and utilizes the vitamins in food much better than supplements! The food sources richest in vitamin A are liver, cod liver oil, egg yolks, dark leafy greens, and blue-green algae like spirulina and chlorella which have the HIGHTEST concentration of beta carotene of any plant. I hope you don’t mind that I give our own algae tabs a plug here becaus they really are terrific for you. They not only have the highest concentration of antioxadants in the world, but also the highest concentration of chlorophyll in the world (as well as the highest concentration of protein in the world. To learn more, or to purchase yours, I hope you’ll visit us at one of our websites at www.skinnybits.com, www.recoverybits.com, www.energybits.com or www.naughtybits.com.   Deep orange vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and squash are also good sources of beta carotene. Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol) is the most abundant fat-soluble antioxidant in the body and is one of the most efficient antioxidants available. It is also a primary defender against fat oxidation. Food sources of Vitamin E include nuts, some seeds, peas and wheat germ.

Example of ORAC’s antioxidants levels in popular fruits and veggies

So why is this important? Many things, including smoking, drinking alcohol, high-fat diets, and exposure to sun and atmospheric pollution cause our bodies to produce an excess of free radicals.  When the number of free radicals outnumber the antioxidants stored in our body, they behave like a bull in a china shop, deactivating enzymes, stealing atoms and causing massive cellular death and even DNA damage. These processes, (referred to as oxidation) are what causes inflammation, aging, cancer, heart disease and yes even those unsightly wrinkles! So guys and gals, keep your fridge and your body stocked with antioxidant-rich fruits, leafy greens, vegetables and algae and you will WOW yourself and everyone else with your dewy skin and radiant health for years to come! Greens rock!  And hey, I do apologize that this was a lengthy response but now have the equivalent of 6 months of nutrition knowledge! All in just 2 minutes! Cool!! So go celebrate by getting gorgeous with a fabulous salad and then dance the night away! You deserve it!!
With great affection,

Catharine Arnston

Want to Feel Fine? Eat Alkaline when you Dine!

With spring and summer now on their way, if you really want to feel fine – eat alkaline when you dine! Here’s why:

Alkaline Diets

To be healthy, not only do our bodies need to maintain a constant temperature of 98.6  they also need to maintain a constant pH of 7.4 – the middle point between being acid and alkaline. It’s quite likely that you’ve never heard about this alkaline/acid balance before but it has been around for about 75 years – its just not well known in the mainstream. So here’s the scoop – virtually all physical activities (even breathing) have an acidic affect on your body, so its important to eat as many alkaline foods as possible – to bring your body back into balance. Everything that you eat either makes you acidic or alkaline and the more acidic your body, the easier it is for disease to take root. If you eat too many acidic foods, your body will automatically do things like steal calcium (which is alkaline) from your bones to bring your pH back into balance. And guess what? This is one of the main causes of osteoporosis!  But before you run and grab a glass of milk to protect yourself, be aware that milk is HIGHLY acidic!  In fact, drinking milk can actually rob your body of calcium – not provide it. Frankly, milk isn’t good for you for a whole host of reasons and being acidic is just one of them. Heck even the world famous Dr. Spock went on record advising people not to drink milk after the age of two. So if HE didn’t think you should drink milk, you might want to think twice about that milkshake or bowl of cereal?

think twice about that glass of milk!

But look, I’m no party pooper and I’ll also admit that I love most of the same acid foods you probably do (wine, cheese, bread). So I have found that the answer is to eat as many alkaline foods as possible and enjoy smaller amounts of everything else. A girl has to have some fun…right?? So go ahead, be a bit naughty and enjoy that glass of wine like I do, but try to balance it out with other alkaline foods like the ones I have listed below. If you want to see a more detailed chart, just click here.acid-alkaline balance.

One very important addition to this list of alkaline foods is algae. As you know, we sell algae tabs at www.skinnybits.com or www.recoverybits.com and www.naughtybits.com. Algae is quite possibly THE MOST ALKALINE food in the entire world! It also has the highest concentration of chlorophyll (5%) and the highest concentration of protein (60%) and a roomful of other antioxidants like beta carotene. So, if you find it difficult to add more greens and alkaline foods to your diet, just take algae and you’ll get all of the same health benefits!

Bottom line, the medical community is finally understanding the benefits of an alkaline diet, so maybe its time you learned about it too?  The expert on all this is Dr. Robert O. Young. His website is www.phmiracleliving.com. By the way, Dr. Young also believes that negative emotions cause the body to become acidic (especially fear, anger, and resentment) so, don’t be angry that you didn’t know about this! Just be happy that you do now! Enjoy the holiday season and every season! And may they always be filled with lots of naughty greens! Hmmmmm I wonder if this is what Dr. Seuss had in mind when he wrote his Cat in the Hat book “Green Eggs and Ham” www.seussville.com. Makes you wonder!

Cat in the Hat is my hero!

Alkaline Foods:

Fruits: lemons, limes, watermelon grapefruit

Vegetables: Algae, all greens, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, green beans, garlic, cauliflower, radishes, chives, watercress, turnips

Nuts, Seeds: almonds, pumpkin seeds, sprouted seeds, sunflower seeds,

Drinks: water, green tea, lemon water, herbal teas,   almond milks

Oils and Fats: olive, avocado, flax, evening primrose, flax

Acidic Foods:

Meats: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, seafood (salmon is not included)

Dairy Products:  milk, cream, cheese, yogurt, eggs, ice cream

Fats: saturated fats, hydrogenated oils, margarine, corn oil, vegetable oils,

Nuts: peanuts, cashews, pistachios

Fruits: Fruits other than the ones in the alkaline category are considered acidic.

Drinks: sodas, tea, coffee, beer, spirits, fruit drinks, dairy smoothie, milk

Affectionately yours,

Catharine Arnston

Greens cocktails rock. Shaken not stirred!

GNO (Girls Night Out) Good! GMO – Not Good!

For us gals, Girls Night Out (GNO) is a treasured event and rightfully so – it’s SO good for us! From pajama parties to cocktails in mini skirts (Sex and The City style), hanging out with the girls is always GREAT!   Why? Because blowing off steam with your gal pals, forgetting about your worries and laughing with friends relieves stress and that my friends makes you feel alive and happy! Why else are we here? SO I hope you will make Girls Night Out (GNO) a regular event – its good for everyone!

GMO – NOT GOOD!

GMO  (Genetically Modified Foods) on the other hand do NOT make you feel alive and in fact, more scientific evidence is coming out every day about how damaging it to your health.

GMO Foods are basically when the genes or bacteria from one organism have been spliced into the genes of another organism. They don’t even have to be from the same species. Did you know that those tomatoes you are eating in your salad are probably GMO and if they are, they probably contain genes from a fish? That’s right, years ago when tomato crops kept being damaged by early frost, scientists found a fish that survives in cold water and spliced the fish’s genes into tomatoes. Voila! Tomatoes that withstand the cold. Brrrrrr.  And no, they still can’t swim like a fish – but that’s probably next. Can’t you just see it now? Tomatoes that can do backflips in your tomato soup? Would certainly give those dancing grapes on the Fruit of the Loom ads a run for their money! Anyway, in all seriousness, almost all commercially grown tomatoes are now  GMO.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a fishy tomato. Do you?  By changing the DNA of the tomato, scientists (and Monsanto) have changed the way your body recognizes it. Why is this a problem? Well, there is mounting evidence that this can change and damage your own body’s DNA.You do know don’t you that your DNA is constantly changing? Well it is. In the old days, the belief was that you had one fixed set of DNA for your entire life but that has now been proven wrong. SO when you eat food that is not natural (and I can assure you there is nothing natural about GMO foods) your body and your DNA basically say “WHAT  the F***K  is this?” Sorry for being so blunt. But this is serious stuff.  Anyway, ever wonder why more and more people have food allergies and are gluten intolerant?  Could it be the flooding of our food supply with GMO products which has been occuring at exactly the rise in both of these? The jury is still out but do you really want to donate your own health  or that of your family’s to this experiment?  Did you know that Europe bans GMO foods? France in particular. Now there’s a country who knows about food! Makes you think doesn’t it? Well I hope it does.

SO Why Avoid GMO Foods?

Yes to GNO but NO to GMO

From anti-GMO activist and best selling author Jeffrey Smith’s recent News With Views Internet article, “Doctors Warn: Avoid Genetically Modified Foods,” “World renowned biologist Pushpa M. Bhargava goes one step further. After reviewing more than 600 scientific journals, he concludes that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a major contributor to the sharply deteriorating health of Americans”.

“Among the population, biologist David Schubert of the Salk Institute warns that ‘children are the most likely to be adversely effected by toxins and other dietary problems’ related to GM foods. He says without adequate studies, the children become ‘the experimental animals.’”

In addition to you and your family’s personal health risks, the whole human race is endangered as Monsanto pursues it’s stated goal of owning the world’s food supply. Genetic engineering alters genetic codes of the DNA in organism by splicing in other genes from other forms of life, including other plant forms, insects, bacteria and even viruses. This creates mutant organisms and dangerously mutating genes, solely for  the profits of a few large corporations.

How To Avoid GMO Foods

Avoid the big four, which has become five now: The highly genetically engineered crops are soy, corn, canola and cottonseed. Add sugar beets, which are now becoming GMO.

Most blended oils in North America contain canola and cottonseed oils. Use extra virgin olive oil instead. Avoid all soy products and oils as well. The healthy alternative is usually not so healthy after all, since most soy is GMO unless it is specifically labeled non-GMO.

Most corn is GMO. Items like corn flakes and corn chips are from GM corn. Corn based products, corn starch, corn oil, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup appear on the ingredients labels of many processed foods. Corn in various forms is prevalent in the vast fast food supply that dominates our culture.

GMO corn is fed to cattle and other livestock. If you eat beef, pork or chicken, you are probably a second hand consumer of GM corn. So dig a little deeper and get grass or alfalfa fed or free range livestock meats only.

Sugar beets are added to the big four to make it five. Now more and more sugar beets are GMO. Sugar from sugar beets is less expensive than cane sugar for refined sugar; therefore, it is popular with food processing groups. So if you haven’t stopped using sugar or products with refined sugar, you might want to reconsider now.

Obviously, buying organic and from local farmers is ideal. Forget convenience. Buy bulk and eschew packaged foods. So what if you have to soak legumes the night before cooking them. If you buy locally, through a local health food store or at a farmers’ market, you can determine by direct communication how the crops were raised.

Want to learn more? I hope you do, so download your FREE Non GMO Shopping Guide  created by The Center for Food Safety http://www.responsibletechnology.org. Also visit http://www.nonGMOproject.org Your health and that of your family’s could depend on it.  To be well you need to be informed.

Party Time with the Gals!

So I say, lets all enjoy our GNO but stay away from GMO! Are you with me? Hope so! By the way, I also hope you’ll check out algae. It’s TOTALLY GMO FREE and ours is grown organically. You can learn more or purchase yours at www.skinnybits.com or www.recoverybits.com or www.naughtybits.com. Our algae tabs will rock your health so you can say NO to GMO all day and all the way!

Affectionately yours,

Catharine Arnston

Its cold! Lets get some Vitamin D3- but on a beach!

So here’s the scoop. Your body makes Vitamin D3 from the sun. Simple enough right? Well, guess what it turns out that vitamin D is actually a superstar -to your body that is.. Here`s what you need to know about this vitally important nutrient, including how to make certain you`re getting enough vitamin D to protect your health.

D is NOT a bad grade....it's a VITAMIN SUPERSTAR - get some soon!

According to conventional wisdom, we should be wary of anything that sounds too good to be true. But vitamin D is shaping up as an exception to that rule. Although it was discovered nearly 100 years ago, vitamin D was long believed to have only one important role, maintaining healthy bones. As a result, it was added to milk in the 1930s, as a way to combat the high incidence of rickets in children and then pretty much forgotten.

How things change! During the past decade, a steady stream of news from researchers all over the world is proving that vitamin D helps protect us against such serious health concerns as cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, several types of  cancer (including breast, colon and prostate), diabetes, emotional difficulties, such as depression and bipolar disorder, muscle function and gum health.

And there`s more! Just consider this small sampling of good news from the vitamin D front:

*Vitamin D supports better brain function in older individuals, according to the findings of a recent clinical trial. Researchers at Tufts University found the best cognitive test scores among subjects with high blood levels of the nutrient. Those with high levels of vitamin D were better at “executive functions,” such as organizing, planning and abstract thinking.

*Vitamin D`s role in how well our muscles operate was underscored by a new study showing that low levels of the nutrient during pregnancy makes a woman four times more likely to have a C-section. The same researchers were also struck by separate findings showing that fully three-fourths of the women in the study and their babies had low vitamin D levels, even though they had been taking prenatal vitamins and drinking vitamin D-fortified milk while pregnant. Coincidentally, a new study from Turkey found that infants with low vitamin D levels are more vulnerable to developing respiratory infections.

When you can't get sunshine on your body- take Vitamin D3 supplements!

*And you can add prostate cancer to the list of cancers vitamin D may help protect against. Findings reported in the British Journal of Cancer show that the disease resulted in six times fewer fatalities for men with the most vitamin D in their bodies when compared to men with lower levels.

*There`s more news on the cancer front, too. A recent review of research involving vitamin D, cancer and sunlight (ultraviolet B or UVB) concluded that sun-associated vitamin D was linked to lower levels of colon and breast cancers, as well as kidney and ovarian cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

What`s the sunlight connection? Our bodies can produce vitamin D on their own when exposed to sunlight. Sounds simple, right? Even though making that happen only takes about 20 minutes of dailysun exposure (and please work up to that amount gradually, to avoid burning), there are actually a few factors that may interfere. Be sure you aren’t wearing sunscreen though – it interfere with the process.

Second, the sunlight-vitamin D conversion process is not nearly as effective for people of color. Third, age plays a role; individuals over age 50 are not efficient converters, so even with proper sun exposure, they`re likely to be deficient in the nutrient. Finally, there`s geography. Sunlight during winter months is not intense enough in areas north of Los Angeles, so no amount of sun exposure will help. But if you live north of Atlanta, after September and before June, you should definitely add Vitamin D3 to your diet! I take 3,000 – 4,000 IU a day and would suggest you consider similar amounts – based on your diet and your daily needs. You can always check with your doc too….although since he may even know about the importance of getting sun- these days he might even be on a beach somewhere too! Race you to the beach! By the way if you also want to keep your bod healthy and “beach ready” start adding SKINNYbits algae tabs to your diet. They are over 60% protein and have just ONE CALORIE per tab and a handful TOTALLY fills you up (way better for you and 99% fewer calories than a handful of nuts). To learn more or to purchase yours, I hope you’ll visit us at www.skinnybits.com.

Affectionately yours,
catharine arnston

I want to be HERE...don't you???

Lets drink to your health this year- but with water!

The new year is well on its way. But are your  new years resolutions? My resolution this year is one that I hope you all will join me in. Its to drink more water. Yup I am finally going to commit to drinking 8-12 glasses of pure water every day! And when you learn about how important water is to your health, skin, organs, vitality and energy I hope you will add 8-12 glasses to your daily diet too! So read on…… 😉

Our bodies are not just works of art - they are 60% water!

Did you know that your body is 60% water (brain and muscles are 75%, blood and lungs are 90%)?  Did you also know you need 8-12 glasses of water a day?  Sounds like a lot. But you need it. Lets do the math together. Each day you lose 6.3 cups of water from urine, 4 cups from breathing, sweating and bowel movements and 2-3 cups from digestion. That’s 12 cups  even before you factor in things like stress or exercise.  Sadly, most of us  don’t drink this amount of water and are walking around dehydrated but don’t know it. When you are dehydrated, you are easily fatigued and nothing works efficiently. In fact, without sufficient water, your body thinks it’s in danger, so like a squirrel hiding nuts before winter, it stores whatever water it can get its hands on, and hides it in the nooks and crannies between your cells. This shows up on the scales as weight gain or as swelling in your feet, legs and hands. But great news, when you finally give your body the water that it needs, all that stored water can be released and when it is, your energy increases too.

Water gives you the gift of health. Will you accept the gift?

Drinking 8-12 glasses of water a day is not only key to having more energy, its vital for great health. Period. And its easy to do. So why not? But if you’re still not convinced, consider what happens when you get dehydrated.  Without water, you’d be poisoned by your own waste products.  Whoa! That got your attention didn’t it? Sorry for the drama but its basically true.   During dehydration, the water surrounding your cells is reduced and what little is left become stagnant with toxins. As dehydration continues, since your body absolutely has to have water surrounding its cells, it pulls out the water from inside your cells. Yup, like a fugitive on the run, your body literally “steals” water where ever it can find it – from inside your cells, from inside your blood, your organs, and even your colon (and is a big contributor to being constipated). This continues until your cells lose all or most of their internal water, shrivel, malfunction and even become damaged. Of course, you  can stop this dehydration process any time simply by drinking more water. But most people have no idea they are dehydrated. In fact, even some health conditions could be corrected, just by drinking more. But who knew? Well, now you do.

You need to keep replenishing the water in your body - just like your goldfish bowl!

And here’s one final visual:. When you were a kid, you likely had a gold fish. Right? Remember what happened when you didn’t change the water in your fish tank and it got all murky? Your goldfish seemed depressed, was less active, stopped swimming or worse – died.  Poor thing.  But once you cleaned out the tank and replaced it with fresh water, little “Goldy” was likely back doing laps around the fish tank. Maybe even back flips like a character out of Dr. Seuss’s book “One Fish Two Fish  Red Fish Blue Fish”  Well, the cells in your body are just like little Goldy. They need a constant supply of fresh water and if they don’t get it, they slowly but surely shut down- just like your friend Goldy did. Without a daily supply of fresh water, the water around your cells also gets dirty, murky and toxic. Just like the water in your goldfish bowl did. Yuk. Who wants dirty goldfish water sloshing around inside them? Not me! Not Goldy. And not you either! So drink up. Drink often. And hopefully drink with our algae bits…which are the most nutritionally dense food in the world (according to the good folks at NASA, The United Nations, the World Bank and a whole host of other world authorities). Never heard of algae? Want to learn about it? We thought you’d never ask! Please come and visit us to learn and be amazed at what algae can do for your health. It’s just as awesome as water and go down together well too:) We have a few websites, so visit which ever one sounds best to you! www.skinnybits.com, www.recoverybits.com, www.energybits.com or www.naughtybits.com

With great affection

Catharine Arnston

Fighting the good fight – through nutrition!

Hope you all had a great week!  As you know, as the Naughty Nutritionist, I am making it my mission to get people to be healthier – not just so we can fit into our skinny jeans (although that is certainly a great advantage!) – but so that we ALL have the opportunity to live LONG and FULFILLING lives that are chock full with LOVE and HAPPINESS.  My events director, Emily, represented the Naughty Nutritionist at an amazing event over the weekend.  After losing her father and grandparents to cancer within a year, her family started the Cash Memorial Fund – a charity dedicated to raising funds for progressive cancer research.  Saturday night, Emily shared our NaughtyBits with the attendees of “Games for the Cure” – an event raising money for brain cancer research in honor of a close friend of the family.  Well get this – they raised OVER NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!  Holy cow!!!  Emily reported that there were so many fans of the NaughtyBits that I’m sure we’ll be working with them again in the near future.  Be sure to check out their website and below is a pic of some of our Naughty Fans with Emily (in the pink top)!

Emily and Naughty Fans at Games for the Cure

The Naughty Nutritionist has also been on the MOVE this week throughout the city of Boston!  Check out our newest Facebook pictures from events at the W Hotel and the Middle East in Cambridge.  I had the great honor of giving the legendary Patti Austin some of our bits!!!  Additionally, I got to meet a VERY talented singer/songwriter named Jamie Kent – he’s definitely going to be the next Jack Johnson!  Jamie is actually going to be taking out bits on tour with him this fall – so check out his tour dates on his website!!!

ANYWAY – on to the Sunday question of the night!  This one is actually a 2-parter, so I’ll be posting the second half of the question next week.  As always, be naughty and be well!  With great affection, The Naughty Nutritonist

What does it mean to have food with antioxidants in it? – Kathy P.

Dear Kathy,
Well, the short answer is that foods that are green have the most antioxidants – and antioxidants are your best friend! Why? Because they slow down aging, stop you from getting chronic illness, and even prevent wrinkles! Yes, even wrinkles- its true! So instead of buying all those expensive face crèmes, save your skin by eating more foods with antioxidants – especially dark green vegetables! So, what exactly are antioxidants? Well, are you ready?  Here is the longer answer:

Antioxidants are molecules that come from nature, which neutralize free-radicals by donating one of their own electrons, ending the “electron-stealing” behavior of the free-radicals. The antioxidant nutrients themselves don’t become free-radicals in the process of donating an electron because they are stable in either form. They act as scavengers, helping to prevent cell and tissue damage that could lead to cellular damage and disease.
You can see antioxidants at work in your own kitchen. Slice an apple in half and watch it turn brown. That’s oxidation, due to oxygen reacting with the apple creating free-radicals. If, however, you dip the apple in some lemon juice, the rate at which the apple turns brown is slowed down because the vitamin C in the lemon juice decreases the rate of free radical activity taking place. Since our bodies cannot manufacture antioxidants, these very important molecules need to come from our diet in order to minimize free-radical damage – which, in essence, is what causes premature aging.  If you want to avoid that, include food with antioxidants in your diet every day.

Check out this cute diagram detailing how antioxidants work – it’s really actually simple when you think about it!

Image thanks to http://www.cosmeticscop.com/how-antioxidants-fight-wrinkles.aspx

Consider this quote: “The amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live.” – Dr Richard Cutler, Director of Anti-Ageing Research Department of the National Institute of Health in Washington, D.C.

Warmly,

The Naughty Nutritionist