Enhancing Your Metabolism Through The Power of Breath

Did you know that you could control your stress levels as well as achieve your ideal weight by simply learning to breathe deeply? 

We all have stress which we need to address. What we may not have realized is that breathing is a major factor in controlling stress: it can either relieve it or create it.

When stressed, one tends to take a shallow breath using the upper chest muscles rather than the diaphragm. For many, this breathing pattern becomes habitual, even when stress is not present. By paying closer attention, we can learn to control the depth and pace of each breath, enabling us to control our reactions to the stresses of life.

A Natural Shallow Breath: 
Shallow breathing using the upper chest muscles occurs naturally when we hyperventilate. It is meant only for moments of severe stress when we need to increase the supply of oxygen to the body.

Imagine you are in the woods and are confronted by a bear. As you spot the bear you gasp. Gasping is a shallow breath into the upper part of the lungs. This gasp stimulates the lobes of the upper lungs which activate the part of your nervous system telling you there is a state of emergency. In the case of the bear, the body receives the message to RUN!

Although we now live in urban environments and bears are not the norm, our body continues to operate in a similar fashion, where a shallow breath signals the body to stay in survival mode.

A Shallow Breath’s Effect On Weight: 
When the body believes itself in danger, it looks for an immediate source of energy to fuel its escape. The carbohydrates we eat are the primary energy source in times of danger and stress because they are most easily converted into fuel by the body. As long as the body thinks there is a state of emergency it will crave emergency fuel in the form of simple carbohydrates and sugar (these include processed foods such as cookies, chips, breads, soda, etc). Unfortunately, even though carbohydrates give a quick boost of energy, it is short lived with energy levels dropping once we digest the food. We then crave another dose of sugar and carbohydrates to lift up the energy levels once more, leading to overeating, overweight, and a number of other serious ailments.  

Besides creating cravings for carbohydrates, as long as the body is in a “survival mode mentality” it will store as much fat as possible for later use. Fat has more energy stored in it and burns more slowly than carbohydrates, supplying longer lasting energy.  The body does not know how long this “state of emergency” will last so it stores as much energy as it can.

While in “survival mode”, the digestive system is weakened. The body will prioritize survival rather than digest its food, therefore it will take the energy from the digestive system and supply it to the muscles for a “fight or flight” response.

As we learn to relax and breathe deeply, our digestive system maintains the energy to assimilate foods and nutrients correctly. Difficulty burning fat as well as difficulty gaining weight can both be symptoms of a weak digestive system.

Breathing’s Effect On Weight Through Exercise:
While exercising we might find ourselves out of breath. It is important to pay attention to breathing as deeply as possible to fully oxygenate the body. If we gasp for air while running on a treadmill, the body perceives this no differently than if we are being chased by a bear. To the body, a stressful situation is a stressful situation. Similarly, if we are huffing and puffing about being stuck in traffic, the body will perceive this as a state of emergency.  

Practicing "Three Part" Breathing:

Be sure to practice breathing only through the nose both on the in and out exhalation.
 
1) Belly (diaphragm): Lying down on your back, rest your palms on your belly and begin breathing into the area underneath you palms, feeling the rise and fall of the belly with each breath.
2) Mid-chest: After several breaths move your palms up to the side ribs and breathe into the hands to expand the mid-chest. Notice that your belly just below the breastbone, after initially expanding, draws slightly in and up as your mid-chest expands. Take several breaths here before moving to the next part.
3) Upper Chest: Place your hands just beneath the collarbone. Breathe into your hands, filling up until you feel the collarbone lift. Notice that breathing into this part requires the most effort, while drawing in less volume.

Putting It Together Into A Full Breath:
Inhale: From bottom to top, breathing into each of the three parts progressively. Breathing into the lower belly, rising into the mid-chest, and from there all the way up to the collarbone.
Exhale: Relax the diaphragm first and continue from there, relaxing from your belly, to mid-chest, to upper chest. Do not strenuously “push” the air out. Calmly release each breath so that you finish the exhalation softly and relaxed, leaving the body receptive to the next breath.

Breaking The 100 Year Diet Cycle

In modern-day culture, being healthy is commonly associated with dieting.  This is somewhat ironic since most diets leave us starved emotionally or physically. How did we come to believe that struggle and deprivation equal vitality and health?

Delving into the history of dieting, we can discover why diets have not worked well for us and how we continue to get caught up in their cycle.

At the beginning of the 20th century, with the cultural increase in weight gain, our solution was a low-calorie/ low-fat diet. The assumption was that cutting out all fats would resolve our weight issues. Thankfully, the body’s natural intelligence prevented us from starving ourselves to death and we began to experience strong cravings for fat and sugar. Deprived of fuel for energy we craved sugar. The craving for fat was the body's natural attempt to stabilize the erratic blood sugar levels that were being created by a fat-free diet. Furthermore, fat cravings intensified due to the lacking feeling of comfort and fullness that only fat would satisfy.

A severely limited calorie intake led to bingeing on fats and sugars. Contrary to what we believe, cravings and binges are not an indication of being flawed or weak. Binges are extreme responses to measures of restriction at levels that are unsustainable by a healthy human body.

Finding ourselves back in the cycle of fats and sugars, we turned to the high protein diet. This “worked” for a while, but since the body needs carbohydrates to stay balanced, we once again found ourselves bingeing on the carbs.

As a solution, the high carb diet was created. What seemed a well balanced idea, ended up sky-rocketing our cholesterol levels. The result:  the low cholesterol diet was born, bringing back the low-fat diet. And so the cycle continues. Years later these diets have returned altered with modern food supply. Although historically unsuccessful, each of them continues to be heralded as the new greatest diet.  

The restrictive aspect of dieting calls our body to respond in a rebound fashion, craving whatever the diet was lacking. Each diet came to pass as a response to the nutritional imbalance created by the previous diet.

Studies are showing that 98% of the weight lost while dieting is gained back in three to five years. Most commonly within the first year. 

A diet marketed to an entire population has us believe that we are all the same “machine.” The truth is that each person is unique, with different needs based on gender, age, ancestry and lifestyle. Furthermore, diets don’t work because they are extreme solutions. If a pendulum swings to one extreme, it has to swing equally to the opposite side. 

Breaking The Diet Cycle:

    1)     Take things slow: Step out of the extremes and don’t expect to change your eating habits all at once. Quick fixes do not help you achieve life-long health and happiness. By gradually introducing new and healthful foods and activities into your lifestyle, you will start to feel better. This will sustain healthy habits and naturally crowd out the less healthy ones.
    2)    Return to the basics: For thousands of years we lived well on all natural whole foods. As our health is globally deteriorating, we create foods that are less and less natural to try to resolve our health issues. You can’t solve a problem with the same mindset that created it.
    3)    Moderation and rotation: Imagine trying to express yourself fully in a language in which you know only a limited number of words. Similarly, if you eat the same foods every day, your body will only recognize certain nutrients and will not get all it needs for your cells to interact correctly.
    4)    Go all natural: In our attempts to live a healthy life, we have forgotten one important nutrient: life. Dieting has taught us to rely on synthetic versions of “food” mixed with chemicals to minimize our caloric intake. Consuming items such as artificial sweeteners simply leaves your pallet craving for more sweetness as well as for the nutrients you never received. Artificial sweeteners, hazardous to your health, can also increase your appetite and your sugar binges.
    5)    Food will fill you, but it will not fulfill you: Raise your vibration! Engage in activities that feed your sense of purpose in life. The more you work towards a goal of living each day with a sense of purpose, the less tempting instant gratification becomes.
    6)    Just say yes: No deprivation does not mean that you can eat whatever you want at any given time. It means that the more you nourish your soul, the more you will develop a stronger connection as to why you are choosing not to eat whatever is preventing you from being good to yourself. Passing on unhealthy temptation is no longer about saying no, but about saying yes to your true self. Always say yes - saying no to temptation is saying yes to yourself. Eat natural foods and nourish your soul on a daily basis.

Staying Healthy This Spring & Summer

As the seasons change, we change.

During winter it was important to keep our body warm. Winter was not the time to go fat-free, nor was it the time to diet on salads, fruits and rice cakes. Our body needed to be warmed up  by eating dense foods and intentionally accumulated excess mucus or fat to coat itself.

Spring is the best time of year to enjoy a lighter diet. During spring our body desires detoxifying foods in an attempt to reset the system and enhance metabolic efficiency in preparation for the warmer months ahead. A high protein, high fat winter diet is highly acidic and causes mucus to accumulate in the intestines. If we do not cleanse ourselves of the mucus, it will prevent waste from moving through our bodies and stop nutrients from being absorbed. This build up of mucus is a common cause of bowel dysfunction and a weakened immune system.

The liver is responsible for filtering the blood of toxins and breaking them down for elimination. If the liver is overloaded, it is less able to detoxify the blood, and poisons accumulate, usually manifesting in an individual’s weaker areas.

It is no coincidence that sprouts and greens are among the first things to grow in spring. Both are known for their cleansing properties. As always, nature delivers what we need for balance.
Bitter roots of spring help break down mucus, while eating sprouts and leafy greens supply chlorophyll to aid the re-growth of the good intestinal bacteria.

To harmonize your body with the season and aid in detoxification:

    •    Eat smaller meals
    •    Avoid alcohol, chemical drugs and fried foods
    •    Minimize your intake of heavier foods such as meat and dairy
    •    Drink plenty fluids and use fresh lemon in your water for liver cleansing
    •    Fresh organic cold-pressed olive oil is best for the liver
    •    Focus on tender, leafy vegetables that represent the fresh new growth of this season. Your greens for Spring can include Swiss chard, spinach, Romaine lettuce, dandelion, fresh parsley, and basil
    •    Exercising and sweating regularly is a great method for cleansing
 
This is a season when we need to eat more fruits and vegetables, perhaps whole grains, and drink lots of water.

A toxic system clogs the mind just as it clogs the body. A cleansing spring diet can sharpen your concentration, help you gain insight and promote spiritual awareness.

Spring is the time to look at your life and plan anew. It is no coincidence that we traditionally spring clean our home. This is a good time to take a look at what you want to clean out within your environment and yourself. As nature awakens and flowers, so do we. The soil is fertile and ready for planting. Be clear on which aspects of your life you wish to nurture and grow.  The next six months, with the sun as the predominant energy, are an opportunity to expand into new horizons. Plant the seeds of transformation and watch yourself evolve. 

The Intuitive Source of Eating

There are two major hemispheres in our brain through which we process our experiences.  The left hemisphere governs rational and logical thoughts or reasoning.  The right side of the brain is stimulated when strong emotions are experienced and matters of the ‘heart’ are processed.

If we look at the nutrition world today, we have access to an endless amount of books and articles by nutritional experts educating us about their “formula” for health.  Most avenues approach nutrition as if it were a math equation of calories and grams.  This is a very logical left-sided (in other words; ‘masculine’ or yang) way of thinking.

While this is extremely valuable information, it only represents half of the information necessary to understand our health.

There are many more factors involved in the way our bodies assimilate food.  The right-side brain (the ‘feminine’ yin side) may be more receptive to understanding our body’s signals, recognizing what our body lacks  to support health and balance.  While logic may view cravings in a negative light, a more holistic approach sees cravings as the body’s signal in search of balance.

There is a huge component in diet that is an intuitive way of eating:  this was also true  for our ancestors who knew which foods would best treat disease or maintain health, and when would be the best time or season to eat each food.

Where do these cravings and intuitive information originate?

The enteric nervous system (ENS) has been described as a "second brain" and is embedded in the lining of the gastrointestinal system. Our gut brain has qualities that are very similar to the head brain in the way in which it communicates with the body through the nervous system.  Researchers have found that the gut sends more messages through the channels of the nervous system to the brain than the brain does to the gut.  Connecting this to diet, we can learn that rather than have the head inform the belly what to eat, we should be developing our natural capability of understanding what the belly is telling the head.

In Eastern culture, the midsection is considered to be the center of both our spiritual and physical wisdom. It is the same section that is our center of gravity.

As a culture we have lost sight of this center. Most of us live in our head. We can see it in our posture. We move through life thrusting our head forward instead of resting it on the support of our spine. As a result ,we commonly suffer from tight muscles at the back of the neck and shoulders. We have forgotten to move from our core both in body and lifestyle. We disregard our ‘gut feelings’ and count on external information more than feeling and intuition to understand our nutritional needs.

Feeling takes guts... 

Chocolate For Valentine

The benefits of cocoa beans: 
    •    Keeping the body young: great source of Magnesium and antioxidants.
    •    Increased concentration: cocoa beans help us stay focused due to their source of PEA, a chemical that increases the activity of certain neurotransmitters (brain chemicals).
    •    Lifting our spirits: cocoa contains Anandamine, a lipid (fat) known as "the bliss chemical", because it is released while we are feeling great. It supplies serotonin, dopamine, and phenylethylamine, three well-studied neurotransmitters, which help alleviate depression and are associated with feelings of well being.

We will not receive the benefits of cocoa through most commercial or milk chocolate. It is best to have chocolate with no added dairy products/milk or refined sugar. Some studies show that the additions of dairy products block the absorption of all the great antioxidants in chocolate! Choose dark chocolates with a high percentage of cocoa. Most fine quality chocolates will list the percentage of cocoa. Check the ingredients and see if cocoa or sugar is the first ingredient listed.

Even better than dark chocolates are raw cacao beans which possess all the magical properties of chocolate without any adulteration or processing!  Power the body by adding cocoa nibs (crushed cacao beans) to your favorite dessert, shake, or cereal.

When giving a Valentine’s gift of Chocolates, make sure the chocolate you choose contains a high content of cocoa. Give the gift of health to your loved ones.


Recipe:  Vegan Chocolate Pudding

1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup raw cacao powder (or regular unsweetened cacao powder)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 medjool dates (about 3-4 dates)
(if using other date types, it is best to soak them for 15 minutes in hot water)

Throw everything into food processor and mix until creamy. Gradually add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to achieve a creamy consistency (if you soaked dates, use the soaking water)

If you desire more sweetness, add maple syrup or agave nectar.
This will last in the fridge for several days.
YUM!!!


Click Here for The Ultimate Chocolate Truffle Recipe

The Temptations of Ego

As the end of January approaches, it becomes more difficult for many of us to keep our New Year’s resolutions. Fearing change we may begin to make excuses to keep us repeating old patterns.

We all have egos that endeavor to maintain a sense of control and do everything possible to prevent us from breaking out of our comfort zones.

Although we understand that it is time to take action and make changes, we often experience a strong resistance. Our ego whispers, “don't bother. It's too much work. Things are fine the way they are.”

As we begin applying ourselves towards creating change (getting fit, losing weight, quitting an unhealthy habit, prioritizing family and friends, becoming organized, etc.), the trapped energy within our bodies and minds begins to stir. Things swept under the rug rise to the surface, making change to be a somewhat difficult experience. This is when the voice of discouragement and doubt can grow louder.

The ego's most common strategy is resistance; saying we are too tired or too busy to deal with such things, that we can do more constructive or enjoyable tasks. Ego manifests as reasoning to celebrate our weight loss with a cookie, or as an injury that occurs just as our new workout has become routine.

Resistance is like breathing, even if we don’t think about it, it just happens. The ego is not evil; It is just trying its best to keep us safe. Making changes in our lives and taking steps towards self-improvement can be overwhelming. The ego, rooted in fear, much like an overly protective parent, prefers us not to  take any chances that might cause us to feel hurt.
 
Which Map Are You Using to Reach Your Destination? 
Be very clear on what intentions motivate you to achieve your goals. Your New Year resolutions could just be another ploy of the ego... For example, say you are at an unhealthy weight. The ego may have fooled you into believing  that you need to change your weight to feel beautiful or accepted. Then as you stride to make changes, the ego does everything in its power, through doubt and temptation, to prevent you from following through. It has now succeeded trapping you so that you will never feel good enough just as you are. Never satisfied with how things are now.

However, if you realize that the unhealthy weight is a result of habits created while your soul was asleep, your journey is now about waking up and loving your soul, rather than just liking your body. As the soul awakens, the ego’s hold on you weakens. When we find love for the process more than for the goal, there is less space for ego.

Moving Forward is Learning to Stay: 
We need not surrender to ego nor do we need to fight it.  Coming up against ego will only cause it to act out. If we don’t learn to stick with the resistance, the slightest incident will be a trigger and we will run.

We crave breakthroughs and get discouraged when we don’t see dramatic results fast. The excuses start pouring in:  we are too tired, or too busy to cook ourselves healthy meals, or move our bodies. Find ways to enjoy the process, to waken the soul.

We must ask ourselves, “According to my decisions now, what will the results be in a year or two?”  Giving into the resistance will bring more of the pain we are trying to overcome.  Such a realization might inspire us to work through the discomfort. Avoiding it will keep it there year after year.

Play More Eat Right

Do you remember being a child and getting so wrapped up in creative play that you didn’t want to stop when it was time to eat or left your meal half-finished to get back to your game? Children innately understand that food is secondary to what is most nutritious and primary in life: fun and play.

As adults we seem to have lost our instinct to prioritize play. In our busy world, with its emphasis on work and responsibility, in order to be healthy and balanced we must work on more than just our bodies; we must feed our hearts, minds and spirits.

When our body, mind and spirit are engaged in a creative project or happy relationships, our reliance on food may appear to decrease. Likewise, when unsatisfied with relationships, job or other areas of our life, we often depend on food to cheer, soothe or numb us. When our life is out of balance, no amount of food can feed us where we truly need nourishment. The food that we eat is very important for health and balance, but what really feeds us—a full and fulfilling life—doesn’t come on a plate.

Putting things that excite us on hold for the sake of responsibilities may at times be good logic yet we often make these decisions from a place of fear rather than good sense. "If I’ll lose weight, then I’ll start swimming/ buy new clothes/ start yoga...."   Let’s do the things we want to do NOW. Any statement containing “if I achieve__then I’d be happy” never holds truth and brings nothing but dissatisfaction. While our future goals are a motivation to better ourselves, they do not hold back our happiness. Finding a peaceful pleasure in our current state of being will motivate us to progress from a sense of ease. We stop working away from what we don’t want and work towards moving towards what we do want.

Create a positive attitude and wonderful environment around you and enjoy the process of becoming healthier and happier every step of the way!

Have fun. If going to the gym is a “chore” then try a yoga or dance class instead. Find a way to play while moving your body. If by deciding to eat healthy you are mostly focused on what to restrict, shift your focus to all the new foods and flavors you get to incorporate and explore.

What is fun for you? What makes you light up and excites you? Make time for it this week. Even if you don’t have much time for fun, try approaching a “serious” activity with an attitude of play. This can greatly reduce stress and anxiety and bring more pleasure to your day. Take your focus off food, try adding more fun into your life and watch the magic unfold.

Click Here for your free handout of simple Lifestyle Recommendations to improve health and happiness.

Winter Health

While holiday indulgence can be fun, heavy meals and sugary foods can leave us with unhealthy cravings, mood swings, and low energy. Often the "winter blues" are the result of poor nutrition.

During the cold and dry winter we can nutritionally create balance through warming and lubricating foods. Enjoy hearty stews, soups and baked foods. Make sure to have some healthy fats in the form of unrefined oils such as extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. Create meals from beans, whole grains, winter squashes and root vegetables. If eating animal proteins, be sure to balance them out with an abundance of vegetables. Warming foods and healthy oils are especially important if you have a difficulty staying warm. If you are prone to suffer from dry skin, minimize your intake of dry foods such as breads and crackers.

Be prepared. This is not the time of year to come home and whip up a salad or have a bowl of cereal because you haven't had time to go shopping. Store canned beans, frozen vegetables, and quick cooking grains (like quinoa)  to be able to quickly create a warming meal within minutes. 

Easy Beans and Greens

1 tbs olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 can of black beans (or pinto, red, kidney—your choice)

1/2 tsp of cumin
1 bunch kale, chopped (or collard greens, chard, spinach. Use frozen if you have none fresh.) 

Heat oil in a saucepan and saute garlic for 1-2 minute. Add drained can of beans and cumin.

Once mixed, add greens for 2-5 minutes until greens are bright green and tender. Remove from stove.
Add to your portion toppings such as avocado, parsley, cilantro, freshly squeezed lime, guacamole, salsa, nuts or any other fun thing you can think of

Adzuki Beans for Winter & Adrenal Health

The Adzuki bean is a small red colored bean with a sweet and nutty flavor. Adzuki beans are known as the “king of beans” in Japan, where they are used in dishes from soup to dessert  (commonly in the form of red bean paste.) These beans are one of the easiest to digest, providing a good source of protein and a grounding effect.

Adzuki beans tonify the kidneys and adrenals and can help ground and soothe us during the busy holiday season. They are digested slowly and cause only a gradual rise in blood sugar levels, making them a superior carbohydrate for those with diabetes and blood sugar imbalances. Adzuki beans are low in fat and high in calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, many B vitamins, and they contain isoflavones, which help prevent cancer and heart disease.

Adzuki beans cook quickly, and can be used in casseroles or stews, mixed with grains, added to soups, tossed in salads, or enjoyed alone. They can be substituted for any other bean in a recipe.

Squash and Adzuki Beans
1 cup adzuki beans -- dried
3 1/2 cup water
1 piece dried kombu*
1 cup butternut squash -- diced
1/2 tsp ginger root -- grated
1 tbs Fresh parsley -- chopped

Place beans, water, and kombu in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Stir in squash and ginger root, then cover and simmer 30 minutes longer. Mix gently with a wooden spoon, and break up the kombu which has softened. Serve garnished with parsley.

Variations: add onion, garlic, carrots or other root vegetables instead or in addition to the winter squash.

* Kombu is a dried seaweed that is known as a flavor enhancer of anything you add it to while cooking. Without adding a “seaweedy” taste to your stews or soups, kombu helps beans cook faster and aids in their digestion.

Note: It is best to soak beans overnight before cooking but you can get away with cooking dried adzuki beans that have not been soaked. If soaking, discard the soaking water before cooking. 

Strengthen Your Adrenals

• Get your beauty sleep! Rest is vital in strengthening the adrenals. That means going to bed by 10pm. Make this a priority and stick with it. 
• Eliminate sugar and processed carbohydrates. Sugar and simple carbs put stress on the adrenals as they interfere with the adrenal glands’ role in regulating blood sugar levels. 
• Eat animal proteins raised with no growth-hormones or antibiotics. Choose organic vegetables when possible, enjoy fruits, nuts, legumes, beans and whole grains.  
• Quit the coffee habit and drink plenty of fresh filtered water every day.

Ho Ho Ho Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz

Winter has arrived and with it has come the Holiday Season. As the air cools, animals hibernate and trees shed their leaves, conserving their energy by sending it down into the roots. We, on the other hand, are shopping, traveling, eating, drinking and partying from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. This puts us out of sync with winter's restorative energy.

Introspection is a beautiful and timely process for the winter season. In the spirit of the holidays we celebrate with light during the darkest of seasons. Introspection carries a similar energy of shining light on the areas of our life that feel dark. If the holiday season emphasizes loneliness, it might inspire us to invest in deepening our connections with friends, partners and family. If feeling tired and overwhelmed by our numerous commitments, it’s time to shed some draining obligations and invest in the actions and relations that nourish our soul.

Often though, we distract ourselves in busyness, avoiding this reflective time until the arrival of New Year resolutions. Indulging in food, drink and guilt only to attempt yet another diet next month is not an act of loving one’s self. Engaging in physical and emotional self-indulgence now while vowing to do things differently later makes no sense. By the time the holidays are over, many people are exhausted, stressed or depressed, and dealing with colds and flu. Be smart with your time this year. Celebrate with your loved ones, get plenty of rest, drink less and laugh more, eat less and sing more, shop less and hug more.

Let’s Talk Coffee:

With more obligations, less sleep and a natural attempt of our body to slow down, we may be feeling the need for an extra boost of energy.

When we are naturally stressed, we produce a hormone called adrenaline. During the course of our day, our body starts to tire and we feel the need to recharge. Ignoring the need for proper rest and nutrition, we may develop a craving for stimulants in the form of caffeine and sugar to give us a sense of energy.  These may seem to provide a boost of energy, but has the opposite effect.

By reaching for a cup of coffee we cause our bodies to release more adrenaline so that we can operate at an even faster and quicker pace. Caffeine stimulates the stress response in the body and causes our adrenals to release more adrenaline. In a natural environment such a flush of adrenaline would happen if we were suddenly faced with danger. The body goes into survival mode where it is once again alert and ready to “fight or flight” any rising situation. We feel alert though the body never got the rest or nutrition it originally needed. Continually flushing our body with adrenaline through the consumption of caffeine can eventually lead to adrenal exhaustion, leaving us vulnerable to a variety of health disorders related to inflammation, autoimmunity and fatigue.

Consuming caffeine may feel like it is helping us cope with stress and fatigue, although it is actually contributing to the increase of more stress in the body. Just as with an addiction (such as to drugs, nicotine or alcohol,) we only feel better when we feed our body more of the substance that is causing it most damage. Stress can be addictive in a similar manner.

Caffeine stimulates the excretion of stress hormones, which makes us feel more alert. However, this hormonal response can produce increased levels of anxiety, irritability, muscular tension, indigestion, insomnia and decreased immunity. Increasing the levels of stress will increase heart rate and elevate blood pressure, and can therefore contribute to the development of heart disease. Both decaf and regular coffee increase cholesterol and homocysteine, the biochemical linked to an increased risk of heart attack.

Caffeine stimulates a temporary surge in blood sugar followed by an overproduction of insulin, which causes a blood sugar crash within hours. Diabetics and hypoglycemics should avoid caffeine. In this manner caffeine can contribute to weight gain, since insulin's message to the body is to store excess sugar as fat. On an emotional level depression may occur as part of the letdown after the stimulant effects of caffeine wear off. It may also appear during the withdrawal  period after quitting caffeine while the brain's chemistry is readjusted. Rather than increasing mental activity, caffeine decreases blood flow to the brain by as much as 30%, and negatively affects memory and mental performance.

You Don’t Have To Give Up Coffee:

If you really love coffee then put in the time to enjoy it. Most Americans drink their coffee “on the go,” while rushing to work or while multi-tasking. If we consume a stress-stimulating substance (caffeine and sugar) while our body is already stressed, we are pushing ourselves to an extreme.

In Europe you will often see people enjoying a cup of coffee while sitting peacefully with friends at a local coffee shop. In Italy a small espresso is consumed after a large meal as a digestive aid. In the States; “America Runs on Dunkin’.”

Caffeine has wonderful health benefits. We can read plenty of studies that show that coffee contains high levels of antioxidants. These antioxidants are stored in the coffee bean but are destroyed within half an hour of grinding and brewing the beans. When drinking instant coffees or purchasing a cup from most stores where the beans are not fresh, we are not getting those benefits. We are just causing the stress response.

Savor the experience. Purchase a high quality organic brand of coffee, grind it fresh (or store your freshly ground coffee in the freezer) and sit down and relax while drinking it. Make sure your coffee is an addition to a healthy diet and not substituting a meal or hours of sleep.