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January 22nd, 2016

The new year brings with it new resolves to get healthy and stay that way. We all know that achieving our ideal weight and keeping it there is hard work requiring a healthy diet and exercise program. Here are 5 things you can add to your program to help support your efforts and achieve your goals faster.

1.  Have your vitamin D levels checked, and if you are low, take a D supplement. Vitamin D is responsible for supporting hormones such as insulin, parathyroid and leptin activity in the body which play a role in controlling weight.

2. Protein powders. Protein is an important part of a healthy diet, and it can support weight loss by slowing down digestion which will keep you feeling full longer and reduce cravings for high carb or sweet foods. Including a protein powder is an easy and fast way to increase protein intake.

3. Choose good fats. Replace butter and vegetable oil with high quality coconut oil. Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) fats are very easy for the body to breakdown and use for energy. So by replacing other fats with MCTs you will be not only consuming fewer calories, but will have more energy for exercise!

4. Supplement with white kidney bean extract. This extract works on the enzymes that convert carbohydrates into glucose. It inhibits excess carbohydrates from being converted into fat by helping remove carbohydrates before they enter the bloodstream.

5. Don’t forget the fiber. A fiber called glucomannan has been shown to cause weight loss in several studies. This is a type of fiber that absorbs water and “sits” in your gut for a while, making you feel more full and deterring food cravings. 

What do all 5 tips have in common? They have the ability to support stable blood sugar levels and switch your body This means switching your body from a “Sugar Burner” to a “Fat Burner”.  The more sensitive your body is to insulin, the easier it can push the excess glucose from the foods we eat out of the blood to the body cells to be used for energy. The more “resistant” your body is to insulin, the more glucose is stored as fat rather than used for energy. Your body becomes resistant to the hormone insulin by eating diets high in simple carbs and sugars because it taxes the body’s natural process and it will begin to need more and more insulin to do the job. Many experts believe the key to losing unwanted pounds and keeping them off is by stabilizing blood sugar. Exercise and diet can make a big positive impact on your blood sugar levels.

Sunflower Shoppe is here to help support you to reach your goals. Look for upcoming seminars about these topics and come by and see us at the Shoppe, where great health is just a way of life!

SOURCES

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/138/12/2309.full

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10641960600798655

http://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/burn-fat-fast

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00895.x/abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15614200

http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/10/1/10

The content and opinions expressed in this “Shoppe Talk” blog are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any illness or to provide medical advice. We are not medical doctors and we do not prescribe medication. If you have any questions about the relationship between nutrition and supplements, we recommend that you seek the advice of a qualified and licensed health practitioner. Our opinions are based on the literature and data from a variety of medical doctors, chiropractors, naturopathic physicians, biochemists and other professional researchers. You are encouraged to make your health care decisions based on your own research and the advice of a qualified health care professional.

The post 5 ways to control and maintain your weight. appeared first on Sunflower Shoppe.

By Bryan Bradford, Chief Nutrition Officer of Sunflower Shoppe Natural Foods

October 30th, 2015

So, you went to the doctor and had blood work done. Your glucose level was within normal range. Great! Nothing to worry about, right? Wrong. You can have unstable blood sugar levels negatively impacting your health and not even know it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 10 percent of American adults have diabetes and that 86 million adults over age 20 are prediabetic.

Together, hyperglycemia (blood sugar that is too high) and hypoglycemia (blood sugar that too low) are referred to as dysglycemia. Dysglycemia weakens and inflames the gut, lungs and brain, imbalances hormone levels, exhausts the  adrenal glands, disrupts detoxification pathways and impairs overall metabolism leading to unwanted weight gain. Each of these effects significantly weakens thyroid function. There is no system of the body that is not affected when our blood sugar levels are not stabilized within a healthy range. The best news is that we can do something about it. You can control your blood sugar levels and the outcome.

Three key areas to focus on:

1. Diet.

1. Portion control – overeating causes spikes in blood sugar.

2. Never eat carbohydrates alone. Always include protein, fiber and a small amount of fat

3. Eat before you get too hungry. Eat every 2-4 hours based on how many calories you had at your last meal or snack.

     2.  Exercise.

1. Include in your program both strength training and cardio.

     3. Supplements.

1. Gymnema

2. Chromium

3. Alpha Lipoic Acid

At Sunflower Shoppe, we are committed to helping our customers achieve their health goals. If you would like to learn more about the single most important thing you can do to improve your health – balancing blood sugar – visit us at Sunflower Shoppe. One of our nutrition specialists is ready to help you navigate your way to better health.

SOURCES

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/10/26/451985740/task-force-urges-screening-of-overweight-adults-for-high-blood-sugar

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/10/elevated-blood-sugar-levels-in-pregnancy-tied-to-babys-heart-defect-risk.html

http://chriskresser.com/thyroid-blood-sugar-metabolic-syndrome/

http://www.doctoroz.com/article/balance-your-blood-sugar-lose-weight

http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/20/5-steps-to-reversing-type-2-diabetes-and-insulin-resistance/

The content and opinions expressed in this “Shoppe Talk” blog are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any illness or to provide medical advice. We are not medical doctors and we do not prescribe medication. If you have any questions about the relationship between nutrition and supplements, we recommend that you seek the advice of a qualified and licensed health practitioner. Our opinions are based on the literature and data from a variety of medical doctors, chiropractors, naturopathic physicians, biochemists and other professional researchers. You are encouraged to make your health care decisions based on your own research and the advice of a qualified health care professional.

The post The Single Most Important Thing You Can Do to Improve Your Health: Blood Sugar Balance appeared first on Sunflower Shoppe.