How to Detox Naturally Using CBD

This article first appeared on KameaWorld.com, a blog that aims to present valuable info and tips on eco-conscious and healthy living. You will find inspirational, educational, and up-do-date posts on eco-design, mind-body wellness, & transformative traveling by Kamea Chang.

I believe the “cleansing” craze has gotten a bit out of hand. The human body can only subsist on liquid for so long, which is why I wanted to share Kamea’s thoughtful article.  ________________________________________________________________________

“Detoxing” is all the hype these days: juicing, water fasting; you name it. Our food industry has been filled with (expensive) products claiming to be able to “cleanse” our bodies.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a “cleansing” or “detoxing” diet or drink.

Sense About Science, a British nonprofit organization aiming to promote public understanding of science with its database of over 6,000 scientists noted (2009): “The multi million [dollar] detox industry sells products with little evidence to support their use. These products trade on claims about the body which are often wrong and can be dangerous.”

While it may sound reasonable to compare our esophagus, stomach, and intestinal tubes to sink drains—which require regular liquid cleanses or scrubbing in order to flush out impurities—it is important to remember that our bodies are extremely complex living systems.

The idea that you need to eat a special meal or drink a special beverage to eliminate toxins from your body is just a pure marketing ploy and completely underestimates the amazing functions your body is capable of.

Meet your liver, kidneys, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and skin, vital organs that have been detoxifying your body since day one. It is their job to keep the good stuff in and flush the bad stuff out. So, your best way to detox is just to keep your entire body healthy so that your organs can function properly.

Most of the time, the “detox” labels on fresh juices or meals are really just fancier marketing strategies used to denote something made with pure ingredients or something rich in nutrients. So, there is no inherent danger in consuming these types of “detox” products because many of them are indeed nutritious.

However, one potential danger of buying into this concept is in thinking that you can afford to eat and drink unhealthily for weeks and then go on a three-day cleanse to undo the previous weeks of harm. Especially if the cleanse is not planned properly (i.e., not nutritionally balanced) or is extreme in nature (i.e., liquid-fasting for more than a few days), it may just do your body more harm than good. Some people are turning to safe and healthy alternatives such as CBD though, and that does actually help. Tons of people are using CBD and kratom for their cleanses since it has proven to have loads of positive effects. One well known advantage is the use of CBD oil for stress. Kratom Masters offer 100% pure Kratom products that are free from all kinds of side effects and though the Kratom products whether they are a red vein or white vein, Bali or Thai require care in their consumption, are free from unwanted side effects, take a look into their website kratommasters.com, they have the best quality and completely pure Kratom extracts.

So what is CBD, you may ask? Well essentially it is a natural component that can help a person undergoing detoxing. You can read more on trello, and that way you will know in less broader terms what it is and how it works. CBD works wonders for people detoxing, and it introduces less chemicals into the body, unlike what is being used conventionally. If you’re looking for the best THC & CBD products with the highest quality, Fresh Bros offers edibles, gummies, isolates and so much more!

So, what is your one and only effective way to help your body detox itself effectively? Is CBD one of your choices?

CONTINUE READING ON KAMEA WORLD→

 

5 REAL Health Truths of Chocolate

 Chocolate. More seductive than David Beckham stripped down to his underwear.

Biting into a rich, chocolatey dessert is a sensual experience. My taste buds are salivating just thinking about it.

There was a time when I’d treat myself to a little chocolate everyday. I was convinced it was a healthy habit. With all the health claims surrounding it, chocolate seems too good to be true. It is touted for high antioxidant levels, supporting the cardiovascular system and the ability to boost mood. Improve yout dietary results with these Biofit reviews.

I recently had to ease-up on my love affair with chocolate. Something in it is causing my psoriasis to flare and it induces a terrible bout of heart burn. Now I am questioning all the claims celebrating this magical superfood. What are the real health facts on chocolate?

 

THE CLAIMS:

  1. “Chocolate has more antioxidants than blueberries.”
    Yes, chocolate is high in antioxidants. It contains flavanols, which are a type of flavonoid or antioxidant that repair damage in the body and are shown to improve vascular health. 
    Yet, chocolate goes through a fermentation and drying process that significantly lowers it’s flavanols. Then on top of that, any heating from melting causes it to lower even more. By the time a chocolate bar touches your tongue, the antioxidant levels are much lower than when first plucked from the cocoa pod.
    Cranberries, apples, peanuts, onions, tea and other foods also contain flavanols. But unlike chocolate, these foods are eaten with little processing and preserve their naturally occurring levels. 
    .
  2.  “Chocolate is rich in micronutrients.”
    Yes, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium and a variety of B vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and folate are all found in chocolate.
    .
  3.  “Chocolate is heart healthy.”
    Studies have shown that the antioxidant flavanols in chocolate have positive influences on cardiovascular health, such as lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow to the brain and heart, and making blood platelets less sticky and able to clot. But as mentioned above, flavanols are present in many other foods without the added sugar of a candy bar. Check out the latest glucofort reviews.
    .
  4.  “Chocolate helps you lose weight.”
    A fake study circulated the media last year declaring that chocolate helps you lose weight. This was a ploy by a science journalist to demonstrate just how easily bad nutrition science is disseminated across popular news wires.The journalist went to the trouble of designing a flawed study, conducting the experiment, and publishing the findings in a scientific journal. All studies are subject to a peer review before publishing, yet this one slipped through a crack, no reviews completed, and right into the media’s hands. The Huffington Post, NPR, Daily Mail, Mother Nature Network and many others shared the findings that eating a 1.5-ounce bar of dark chocolate each day helped study participants lose weight. That translates to 210 calories and 19 grams of sugar.Chocolate is not correlated with weight lose. It is a calorie-dense food and is best eaten in moderation, if you like it a lot, we recommend to visit to check the fat burners online. Learn more about pelvic floor strong.
    .
  5.  “Dark chocolate is healthy chocolate.”
    Whether or not chocolate is healthy depends on the processing and the additives. Chocolate can go through rigorous refining before it gets into your hands. What sweeteners, oils or other foods have been added that are competing with it’s healthy compounds?If you’ve ever tasted plain cocoa powder or a cacao nib then you understand how much sugar is needed to turn it into a decadent dessert. Most of us aren’t eating 100% dark chocolate. We go for the sweet stuff. And sugar is sugar.The human body absolutely does not require sugar to meet it’s nutritional needs. It is simply empty calories and actually damages our cells.So if you’re eating chocolate for the health benefits, take a close look at the ingredients. Choose 80% or higher cocoa content and look for brands that make chocolate at low temperatures to maintain it’s naturally occurring nutrients. These are just some of the best healthy benefits that herpesyl reviews provides.

Right now, I’m enjoying carob powder as a chocolate alternative. Carob does not have caffeine or theobromine, which may explain my negative reactions to chocolate. My body is overly sensitive to stimulants. Carob has a mellow, chalky taste and naturally contains more sugar than chocolate so it is tasty without any added sweetener.

Go ahead and treat yourself. Chocolate does have healthful properties. Just be aware that the purest form, with minimal processing and little added sugar is the best option.

 

RESOURCES:
Is Chocolate Good for Your Heart? http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/heart/prevention/nutrition/food-choices/benefits-of-chocolate

Why a Journalist Scammed the Media into Spreading Bad Chocolate Science http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/05/28/410313446/why-a-journalist-scammed-the-media-into-spreading-bad-chocolate-science. 

Why Is Dark Chocolate Good for You? Thank Your Microbes http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-dark-chocolate-good-for-you-thank-your-microbes/

The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841576/

Cocoa has more phenolic phytochemicals and a higher antioxidant capacity than teas and red wine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14640573

Effect of Fermentation and Drying on Cocoa Polyphenols. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26086521

Carob vs. Chocolate  http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/carob-vs-chocolate#sthash.KhJQrGQy.dpu

Chocolate: Friend or Foe? http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/07/29/chocolate-friend-or-foe/

 

Breaking Up with the 2015 Dietary Guidelines

Five years. Numerous new scientific findings. Zero progress.

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans launched last week and the bad advice continues. It encourages multiple servings of refined grains, low-fat dairy, lean protein and limiting saturated fat.

Here’s the recommended Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern:

health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/chapter-1/a-closer-look-inside-healthy-eating-patterns/#table-1-1Table in 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Let’s break it down:

GRAINS
Six servings of grains are recommended per day, with three of those coming from refined grains. I have nothing against whole grains but to suggest that we consume the refined variety is one of the reasons we’re dealing with an obesity epidemic.

Refined grains are white flour and white rice that have been processed to remove the most nutritious parts of the food. These are metabolized immediately in the body as glucose, spiking insulin levels. The day-after-day effects of this can and will eventually lead to diabetes. And the government wants us to consume three serving of these foods every day. In order to learn a few more tips about loosing some weight, visit Discover Magazine.


DAIRY
Full-fat dairy is healthier, and more nutrient-rich than low-fat. Yet the US Guidelines strictly recommends the later.

When you consume a whole food, you get the whole package of nutrients working together. Whole dairy contains butyrate, phytanic acid, trans palmitoleic acid, and conjugated linoleic acid that have beneficial effects not found in low-fat dairy. Low-fat dairy is basically skimming off all the good stuff our body needs.

High-fat dairy is less likely to contribute to obesity than low-fat and No studies point to low-fat dairy being healthier.

The Guidelines include this false statement:

“Fat-free and low-fat (1%) dairy products provide the same nutrients but less fat (and thus, fewer calories) than higher fat options, such as 2% and whole milk and regular cheese.”

A low-fat recommendation is done primarily to reduce the high saturated fat content. I’ll discuss this next.


FATS
Now this category is most concerning. The government suggests only oils be consumed and all saturated fats be limited to under ten percent. I wrote a detailed post on the benefits of animals fats verses the harmful effects of seed oils here.

It is alarming to see statements such as this in the Guidelines:

“Strong and consistent evidence shows that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats, especially polyunsaturated fats, is associated with reduced blood levels of total cholesterol and of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol).”

This is contradictory to current studies showing that seed oils actually reduce HDL cholesterol (the good stuff) when they reduce LDL cholesterol. So they do more harm than good. Saturated fats boost the good cholesterol in our bodies.

For more convincing evidence, read the work of Nina Teicholz, The Big Fat Surprise. She explains how our 30 year low-fat craze is based on very week epidemiological studies.

But there is a victory to celebrate. Trans fats are on the outs for good. The FDA has banned them and is giving food companies just three years to remove them from their products. Woohoo!

  • Until 2019, avoid these items:
    crackers, cookies, cakes, frozen pies and other baked goods
    snack foods (such as some microwave popcorn)
    stick margarines
    coffee creamers
    refrigerated dough products (such as biscuits and cinnamon rolls)
    ready-to-use frostings


MORE ON CHOLESTEROL
The egg is back on the good food list. Scientific findings are too strong for the Guidelines to ignore this one. As far as cholesterol goes, the limit has been lifted. Hopefully this means bland egg whites and egg beaters will hit the road. Good riddance.


VEGETABLES
Only two and half cups of vegetables are recommended per day. Two and half cups is equivalent to one bell pepper and four spears of asparagus. That’s it. Per day.

We can do better than that.

Vegetables are our top defense against illness. They are packed with phytochemicals that are vital for optimal health and disease prevention. Plants protect against DNA damage, oxidative stress (which is fought against with plentiful antioxidants), reduce inflammation,  slow cancer growth and many other benefits. And plants high in chlorophyll, like dark leafy greens, have protective properties that counteracter the effects of red meat’s carcinogenic proteins.

In order to fight illness and disease, studies show we need at least five servings of vegetables per day to begin seeing decreased risk. The government’s guidelines are half of the beneficial level.

If you really want improvements in your health, up those veggies to 8-9 servings.


SUGAR
Yes, the guidelines actually advocate for a reduction is sugar. In the 2010 document, it vaguely suggests reducing intake of added sugars but does not set a percentage. Now it recommends,

calories from added sugars do not exceed 10 percent per day.”

Ten percent is still a hefty amount though. That’s 200 calories or 50 grams of added sugars per day. Say you have one bottle of vitamin water (125 calories from sugar) and one Cliff Bar (80 calories from sugar), you’re already over the limit. And that could just be lunch. 

The Word Health Organization also calls out to reduce added sugars to less than ten percent. Although they go one step further, advocating that below five percent (25 grams of sugar) will offer more health gains.

Added sugars like refined white sugar and high fructose corn syrup are 100% empty calories, with zero nutrition. They only harm your body. Two-thirds of the US in overweight, and much of that blame is pointed at sugar.  How can the guidelines be so lax on something that is sickening it’s population?


SODIUM
Americans like salt. A lot.

We have the processed food business to thank for supporting this addiction.

Salt prevents foods from spoiling and makes it irresistible to our taste buds. Chips, “cheese” products, frozen dinners, many restaurant meals and most of the items you find in the middle of the grocery store are overloaded with salty appeal.

Take a look at this chart. The last line demonstrates the level of sodium intake. Close to 90 percent of the population exceeds the recommended level, consuming an average of 3,440 mg per day. The guidelines sets the limit to 2,300 mg per day. This is one recommendation I can support since it is pointed to a reduction in processed foods.

health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/chapter-2/current-eating-patterns-in-the-united-states/

Graph in 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

 

REAL NUTRITION
“Nutritional needs should be met primarily from foods.” I agree 100 percent with this statement in the Guidelines. Real nutrition comes from whole foods.

Yet the actual recommendations are for few real foods. Refined grains that have been fortified with essential nutrients are ranked higher in priority than vegetables. And to still advocate for seed and vegetables oils is to blatantly ignore current scientific findings. 

Michael Pollan gets it right in his new In Defense of Food documentary. The science is presented accurately, with weigh-in from credible nutrition experts. It is a Must Watch. Then recommend it to everyone you know. I would love to see this shown in every high school across the country. 

In an idealized world, we can push politics and big food lobbying aside and focus on the ingredients of a healthy diet. Until then, steer clear of government nutrition recommendations.


RESOURCES:
2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/

The Government’s Bad Diet Advice
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/21/opinion/when-the-government-tells-you-what-to-eat.html

Still Think Low-Fat Dairy is the “Healthy Choice”? Think Again!
http://chriskresser.com/still-think-low-fat-dairy-is-the-healthy-choice-think-again/

Why Full-Fat Dairy May Be Healthier Than Low-Fat
http://time.com/3734033/whole-milk-dairy-fat/

Current Eating Patterns in the United States
http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/chapter-2/current-eating-patterns-in-the-united-states/

New Diet Guidelines Urge Less Sugar for all and less meat for boys and men. 
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/new-diet-guidelines-urge-less-sugar-for-all-and-less-meat-for-boys-and-men/?_r=0

The Link Between Meat and Cancer
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2015/08/the-link-between-meat-and-cancer.html

The Amazing World of Plant Phytochemicals: Why a diet rich in veggies is so important!
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2015/10/the-amazing-world-of-plant-phytochemicals.html

Science Compared to Every Diet and the Winner is Real Food
 http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/science-compared-every-diet-and-the-winner-is-real-food/284595/

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines, at long last by Marion Nestle
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/01/the-2015-dietary-guidelines-at-long-last/

WHO calls on countries to reduce sugars intake among adults and children
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/sugar-guideline/en/