“Exercise is of course one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. Everyone recommends exercise for weight loss because it burns calories and increases your metabolism. As it relates to detoxification, exercise serves several functions. First, exercise moves the lymphatic system. The role of the lymphatic system is to gather toxins. Once gathered, the toxins must be eliminated from the body. Exercise helps out here as well. During exercise the lymphatic system dumps toxins into the circulatory system, where they can be processed by the liver and eliminated through the bladder or colon. Finally, exercise helps you sweat out toxins.” (p. 134-135)
Watson, B. 2007. The Fiber 35 Diet. New York, N.Y.: Free Press.
If happiness is an inner state, influenced by external conditions but not dependent on them, how can we achieve it? Ricard will examine the inner and outer factors that increase or diminish our sense of well-being, dissect the underlying mechanisms of happiness, and lead us to a way of looking at the mind itself based on his book, Happiness: A Guide to Life’s Most Important Skill and from the research in neuroscience on the effect of mind-training on the brain.
Speaker Bio: Matthieu Ricard, a gifted scientist turned Buddhist monk, is a best selling author, translator, and photographer. He has lived and studied in the Himalayas for the last 35 years…
A video survey of urban agriculture and community gardening in Atlanta. This story was featured on “This is Atlanta with Alicia Steele,” a Telly Award-winning and Emmy-nominated magazine show on PBA, Atlanta’s PBS Station.
Dr Brene Brown is a nationally recognized speaker on shame, an emotion we seldom talk about, yet affects our lives profoundly. What effects does shame have on women and how does it differ from men. She outlines an empowering new approach that dispels judgement and awakens us to the genuine acceptance of ourselves and others.
Nicole Avena of the University of Florida researches abnormal eating behaviors to understand brain mechanisms that contribute to overeating of sugars and fats. She and her colleagues find that rats maintained on a diet schedule that induces binge eating of sugar can result in several behaviors and changes in the dopamine and opioid brain systems that resemble an “addiction.” Series: Food and Addiction: Environmental, Psychological and Biological Perspectives [5/2010] [Health and Medicine] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 18563]
“Most Americans already consume too many calories and struggle to lose weight. One can of soda a day doesn’t seem like a big deal, especially not if you manage to cut back on food calories. If you don’t, though, an extra 150 calories a day can translate into a fifteen-pound weight gain over a year! The danger of drinking sugared sodas and juices instead of water is that many people treat “liquid calories” as somehow different from “food calories” and often don’t make up for the calories in soda or juice by eating less. High-sugar diets make the pancreas pump out more and more insulin, which may lead to diabetes…What about calorie-free sodas? As a beverage, they are better than the sugared versions, although they’re an expensive way to get water.” (p. 130)
Source: Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy by Walter C. Willet, MD (2001)
“The right kind of salad for lunch can help you stay alert and prevent that sleepy feeling you sometimes get after you eat. A carbohydrate-heavy meal (loaded with bread or pasta) triggers the release of a brain chemical called serotonin, which gives a feeling of relaxation, well-being, and drowsiness. Basically, it makes you feel ready to kick back – not something you necessarily want in the middle of the day…For the afternoon, stick with protein and vegetables. Protein blocks the serotonin effect, helping you stay alert and on your game. That’s why meals rich in protein without much concentrated carbohydrate, like most main course salads, are the perfect power lunch.” (p. 117)
Krieger, E. 2008. The Food You Crave. Newtown, C.T.: The Taunton Press.
