You can't fix your health, until you fix your diet.

When I am in front of a corporate group or an individual, one of the high mileage questions I always ask is:

" What is the one thing that you think you should do to have a positive impact on your health?"

 

Ninety-five percent of the time the answer is "exercise more." I sigh and say that is a good idea, but what about what is on your plate? What does your breakfast, lunch and dinner plate look like as you sit here today? Ask yourself:

1. How much green is on your plate? (collard greens, swiss chard, arugula, kale, romaine)
2. How much animal is on your plate? ( do you eat meat at every meal?)
3. How much dairy are you consuming and is it high quality dairy? (organic whole or factory skim)
4. Are there any raw foods in your diet? (sprouts, raw juice, veggies)
5. Can you name any Super Foods? (cacao, kelp, hemp seeds, chia seeds etc.)
6. How about carbohydrate? Are they good or bad, and do you know the difference?
7. What do you consider a good fat? What good fats do you eat for optimal neurological function?
8. How much cheese do you eat? (have you ever tried raw milk cheese?)
9. Do you prepare for meals or do you just let them come at you without any thought until you  look at the restaurant menu? (Have you considered taking your lunch to work instead of buying everyday?)
10. Are you in restaurants a larger percentage of the time than you are in your own kitchen?

The truth is, you will lose weight in your kitchen not at the gym, by managing your plate not the weights.

I site this US New & World Report column by Yoni Freedhoff, MD.

"Looking at real-world studies of exercise and its impact on weight, the results are underwhelming to say the least. Take this 2007 study published in the journal Obesity. Researchers instructed 196 men and women to exercise an hour a day, six days a week, for a year! And researchers weren't just telling people to exercise, they were supervising them and instructing them as well.

Compliance was incredible – only seven study dropouts – and over the course of the year, men averaged 6.16 hours of weekly exercise, and women, 4.9 hours. So did the 320 hours of exercise for the men and the 254 hours for the women lead to weight loss? Yes, but probably less than you might have guessed. Men lost, on average, 3.5 pounds, and women, 2.6. That translates to 91.5 hours of exercise per pound lost.

Now, to be very clear, there is likely nothing better for your health than exercise – truly nothing. There's no pill you can take and no food you can include or avoid that will give you the health benefits of regular exercise. I exercise regularly, and I strongly encourage all of my patients to do so as well. But I also tell them that they can't outrun their forks"

Nothing more to say.

Yoni Freedhoff, MD, is an assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Ottawa, where he's the founder and medical director of the Bariatric Medical Institute—dedicated to non-surgical weight management since 2004. Dr. Freedhoff sounds off daily on his award-winning blog, Weighty Matters, and you can follow him on Twitter. Dr. Freedhoff's latest book, The Diet Fix: Why Everything You've Been Taught About Dieting is Wrong and the 10-Day Plan to Fix It, will be published by Random House's Crown/Harmony in 2014.

To Your Best Health,

Denise R. Lovat

Certified Health Coach, AADP

"Change Your Life with Food"

If you would like to learn how to eat simply and healthy and make major changes, not only in your diet and nutrition, but other areas of your life, email me at deniselovathealthcoach@gmail.com.

To Juice or not to Juice? Gweneth Paltrow's favorite Green Juice

To juice or not to juice, that is the question?

I am not referring to the Nutri-Bullet kind of juicing. I am talking about masticating juicing, that simulates our digestive process. I am talking about squeezing the juice out of organic produce and separating the pulp from the juice. The only thing you consume is the juice...that kind of juicing.

Here are the benefits:

1. Juice give the body a rest from digestion. When we eat and metabolize our food, it causes free radicals to form. Our body must use its enzymes to work to digest our food instead of repairing our cells and DNA. With juicing, there is no digestion required. The raw juices are fully absorbed within 20 minutes and we bring vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids into our body.
2. Fresh juice is a live liquid vitamin supplement. The juice of organic fruits and vegetables is the richest whole food source of oxygen, enzymes, vitamins and minerals.
3. Nutrients in live raw  juice assist the body with electrical conductivity and contain the building blocks for tissue healing and repair.
4. If you buy a green juice, be careful. Most juice is pasteurized, which means it is heated and no longer raw. This means the microbes (bad for you) and the enzymes (good for you) are both killed. When you buy green juices make sure they are high pressure processed (HPP), or make your own green juices. Here are two brands to look for at Whole Foods Market that are HPP : Blue Print and Suja.
5. Fresh raw juice gives us abundant energy, gives us fast recovery from illness and slows the aging process.

If you are serious about learning more about juicing and the benefits, Wheatgrass and Sprouts is a great place to start. They offer a variety of classes on juicing and sprouting. Wheatgrass and Sprouts is also hosting a great event this May 17th titled: The Power of Live Food to Heal Disease and Conquer Aging. Brian Clement from the Hippocrates Institute will be the featured speaker.  Please visit their homepage at: www.wheatgrassandsprouts.com to find out more and purchase tickets to this event.

To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat
Ceritified Holistic Health Coach, AADP

If you would like Gweneth Paltrow's favorite green juice recipe and Ten Tips to Improve Digestion, please email me at deniselovathealthcoach@gmail.com

Top 10 Food Trends for 2014

Consumers heightened environmental awareness and a love for fresh flavors are responsible for the Top 10 Food Trends for 2014 says Melinda Hemmelgarn (Dietitian and radio host in Columbia, Missouri).

Here are the Top 10 Food Trends:

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
2. Locally grown produce
3. Environmental sustainability
4. Healthful kids' meals
5. Gluten-free cuisine
6. Hyperlocal sourcing (i.e. restaurant gardens)
7. Children's nutrition
8. Non-wheat noodles/pasta (i.e. quinoa, rice, buckwheat)
9. Sustainable seafood
10. Farm/estate-branded items

Did you know that Compuware here in Detroit has their own garden called Lafayette Gardens in their atrium?

Are the Top 10 Food Trends on your radar?  Email me at deniselovathealthcoach@gmail.com to get connected to a local farmer for your organic spring vegetables.

To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat
Certified Health Coach, AADP
"Change Your Life with Food"

source: Restaurant.org/Natural Awakenings March 2014 Issue

How Many Calories Per Day? Read on....

This week I have been enjoying Dr. Daniel Amen's book, "Change Your Brain, Change Your Body." He has done over 70,000 brain scans on his patients including NFL players to discover how to treat  them.  Dr. Amen is a psychiatrist, a clinical neuroscientist, and brain imaging expert.

Because we cannot see our brains, we don't think much about them.  After seeing some photos of toxic brains, I would love to see a scan of my own brain. It also makes me keenly aware that I want to continue to eat the best food possible and take good care of myself.

The truth is, we are what we eat and we become what we eat. When I speak on health I always say that our food goes to the cellular level. I sound like a broken record, but it is the truth. Just like when a chicken is pasture-raised and eats what she is supposed to eat, her eggs are delicious, so the same goes for us.  When we eat well, we look healthy and beautiful.  I can bet that our pasture-raised lady also looks healthy and beautiful.

Here are some things to consider (adapted from Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, by Daniel Amen, M.D.) when you choose your next meal:

1. Your body continually makes and renews cells, even in the brain. Your skin makes new cells every 30 days! Food fuels cell growth and regeneration. What you consume daily, directly affects the health of your brain and body.
2. Food is a drug. Foods affect your mood and energy level. Have you ever noticed that when a child eats candy, within a few minutes they start bouncing off the walls? Do you get impatient when you drink too much coffee or caffeine?
3. Food can make you sleepy. After eating a huge lunch (pasta and chicken for example) do you need a nap?
4. Food can make you feel great. Eating the right foods gives you good energy that lasts all day long and helps you focus better. When you go to bed a little hungry don't you bounce out of bed to take on the day?
5. Diet influences everything in your life: your overall health, your ability to think quickly and clearly, your energy level, your physical and athletic performance, your weight, your appearance, your confidence, your self-esteem.

One great thing to know is how many calories your body needs per day. To find out your basic calorie needs, your resting basal metabolic rate (BMR), go here:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

I was surprised to learn how few calories I need each day (1,224 !!!). I am not a calorie counter but this is a great number to know.

The answer is the total number of calories a day you need to maintain your current weight. This number helps give you control over your health.

To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat
Certified Health Coach, AADP

source: Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, Daniel Amen, M.D.

Does February = Chocolate for You?

It is  almost Valentine's Day. My husband and I celebrated this past Saturday as we always do (one week early) to avoid the crowded restaurants and over-priced everything. We have a favorite place where I almost always order the "vegetable plate" for $13.00. I am such a cheap date. You can select four vegetables to customize your plate.  I chose heirloom beets with a touch of goat cheese and toasted walnuts, steamed broccoli (perfectly cooked), roasted asparagus and kumato tomatoes. I have never seen so much color or so many phytonutrients on one plate.  Yes, we shared a bottle of delicious red wine. What an amazing dinner and we did not over do the food.

Just because it is Valentine's Day (or Easter or Christmas or your birthday or St. Patrick's Day) it does not mean you have to derail your intention of getting and staying healthy. When I eat out I think it is easy to stay on track (at some restaurants) due to the choices of side dishes that they offer. Why not order a large salad and two sides dishes: rice pilaf and roasted asparagus. You can fill up on high volume, low calorie foods and after those three dishes your 1 liter stomach will be full and satiated with less room for cheating. You can still go to an upscale restaurant and stay on track. It is your choice.
Now that I am done with the lecture portion I need to tell you that CHOCOLATE is ok! I have a favorite chocolate which I buy at Whole Foods. The name of the bar is Fair Exchange. You can buy 71% or 80% cacao. The ingredients are "whole" and the chocolate is delicious. The bar is low in carbs with a hefty serving size of nine squares. Now I can live with that.
Along the same line, you can make healthier desserts which include high quality chocolate that can help you satisfy the need for Valentine Chocolate, while not harming your health. I have two links below to amazing chocolate treats from Sunfoods:

1. Chocolate Nut Ganache : www.sunfood.com/blog/recipes/chocolate-nut-ganache/?
2. Nutty Power Bar: www.sunfood.com/blog/recipes/nutty-power-bar/

Another favorite dessert when I have guests, is oven-dried fruit with chocolate and toasted almonds. This requires some time to dry the fruit and toast the almonds but it is so beautiful

​and healthy ​

when displayed for guests on white parchment paper.

​Email me at deniselovathealthcoach@gmail.com to receive this recipe.

I have saved the best for last. The raw food chef Ani Phyo has an amazing Raspberry Fudge Cake. I took a raw foods class and we made this cake. It is fabulous and you only need a sliver to be happy.

​ Email me at deniselovathealthcoach@gmail.com to receive this recipe.​

This Valentine's Day, tell people in your life who are special to you...that they are special to you! Better yet, make them the Raw Raspberry Fudge Cake

​....​

actions speak louder than words.

To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat

Certified Health Coach, AADP

I am available for Health Fairs and Workshops at your company. Email me at deniselovathealthcoach@gmail.com or call 248-330-6189.

Even Cow Girls Get the Blues

That is the title of a book I had to read in college. What it really means is that everyone can get the winter blues if you let yourself. This January may go on record with the largest snowfall in the month of January's history here in Michigan. It is fun, ridiculous and gorgeous when we get 10-12 inches of snow in one day...but we really don't want it to happen again.






I am pretty much done with winter after one dusting on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and then one big one in January.




Old man winter of course has a different idea. Here in Michigan we will be seeing snow flurries until Easter Sunday.  How can we make it through? Here are some ideas to fuel your connections so that the winter blues do not set in:

1. Host a wonderful brunch for friends for Valentines Day: You will be busy planning the menu, choosing the guest list, thinking about the table decorations and before you know it will be February 14th! I always host a Mother/Daughter Brunch on or around Valentines Day. I actually had requests to be added to the guest list. So awesome. (Remember I was a personal chef first!). The daughters were required to spend the night and help me cook for their moms. They served their mothers the next day and we have so many great memories over the years.
2. Make a plan with some good friends to organize a "Ladies Who Lunch" group (or Men Who Lunch or dinner!). You can look forward to getting out of the house once a week for lunch until Spring. Try some new vegan or vegetarian restaurants in your area. Dress up like it is a fancy occasion and enjoy each others company from 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. if you can. This is very low cost therapy. You can even make new friends by asking each member to bring a person that no one else knows to one of the events. You can call it "Mystery Guest" day (Mystery Guest, not Mystery Date!).  Now that is some good clean fun.
3. Plan a one night get-away for you and your spouse or a group of friends. It is always nice to get away from your routine in the winter if only for a day. Try Chelsea, Michigan and go to the Purple Rose Theater and stay at the bed and breakfast which sits right behind the theater. (The Chelsea House: http://www.chelseahouseinn.com/).
4. Plan an awesome end of January Shopping Day with your best friend. The sale racks are full of 70% off merchandise that you can take hours to discover. Pick a favorite place for lunch(Nordstrom Salmon Fish Tacos are amazing!). End the day with a pedicure or massage at Nordstrom's or a local spa. This will help you recharge and get ready for two more months of winter.
5. Invite two or more friends or family members to a "Cook and Share" with you on Saturday or Sunday. You each bring a great recipe and the ingredients for the recipe (double or triple depending on the number of people). You all cook each dish together, split up the servings and freeze so that you can have a few emergency meals to make your life easier.

See how fast the time went..... it is almost Spring. Don't let the winter blues sink in to your soul. Get busy connecting with friends and family.


To Your Best Health,



Denise Lovat
Certified Health Coach



I offer a free one-hour health history session: email me at deniselovathealthcoach@gmail.com. In the subject line write, HEALTH HISTORY.

Crowd out the old habits and add in the GOOD habits this New Year!

Is it time to experiment with new foods, new exercise, new friends and new careers this new year?
If you are ready to treat yourself better this year, here are some tips to help you get started.
Any change you make regarding food or exercise is considered a "keystone behavior." This means that it will start to impact other areas of your life positively and before you know it, you will be transformed into a butterfly.  I hope that some of these tips hit a bulls-eye for you.

Cut Back These	Add in These	Benefits
Chips and Salt Snacks	Raw toasted almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds and chia seeds.	Nuts and seeds have preventative effects on diabetes, heart disease, breast disease and manage body weight.
Red Meat	Mushrooms of all types	Mushrooms have the texture of meat and can aid in weight loss. They will give you a better body composition (less belly fat) and are known to help prevent cancer. Add to soups, or saute with parsley and dill.
Sugar	Coconut Nectar, Maple Syrup, Raw Honey, Medjool dates	Sugar is inflammatory. When ingested it goes to our cells for energy (glucose). If our cells are already full of glucose they say "see ya" and send it to the liver to be stored as fat. Try three days without refined sugar and see how good your joints feel and the energy you have.
Coffee	Tea	Relaxing with a cup of tea can reset our physical and mental state in a positive way. Coffee will put our body in the fight or flight mode very quickly and then cause us to crash. There are specific benefits to each type of tea (black, white, oolong, green) and the additive tisanes i.e. ginger, peppermint, hibiscus. Just Google health benefits of tea and off you go.
Holding Grudges	Forgiveness	"Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward." C.S. Lewis
Acidic Foods	Alkaline Foods	Acidic foods promote inflammation in the body. Try to achieve a balance between these two. For example, oatmeal, walnuts and blueberries are all acidic. If you ate that for breakfast you should eat a large green salad with veggies for lunch to balance out your body. When the body is too acidic, it looks to alkalize itself, going to your bones to release calcium into the blood. As you can see, too much release of calcium would lead to weak bones. For a complete list of acidic and alkaline foods check out these two articles: http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm http://www.vegan-raw-diet.com/alkalinefoods.html
Being a Night Owl	Sleep 7+ hours per night	Sleep removes waste from our brain clearing toxins that could eventually lead to Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Pick one or two nights a week to get in bed before 9:30, you will awaken without your alarm clock and feel like taking on the world.
		Adapted from: Taste for Life, Jan 2014 To Your Best Health, Denise Lovat Certified Health Coach Visit my website at: http://www.deniselovathealthcoach.com/Services.html  to schedule a  free 1-hour health history consultation