Food Addiction

Posted by Rip Venice on May 8, 2013
Posted in: Encouragement. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Champions,

Please read an article from an amazing resource diseaseproof.com.  

Have you ever felt helpless when making an eating decision?  Have you felt overwhelmed by a desire to eat something you know is detrimental to your longterm health?  Ask yourself WHY?  Why does it feel like Im addicted to bad food?  

The answer is YOU ARE!  Never fear Champions, we are stronger than this addiction.  We can be systematic in our approach to longterm health and wellness.  We have the knowledge, resources, support and power to make this lifestyle change.  And through this experience we will learn about our true nature.  About how strong we really are.  And most importantly, how to help others to see this light.  Read on….and always remember to Think Before You Eat!

What is it like to be free from food addiction?

POSTED ON MAY 7, 2013 BY GUEST BLOGGER

Felicia was recently interviewed on Disease Proof. [click here to read her interview]  She’s lost over 160 lbs in less than a year, and she’s still losing!  I asked her if she’d be willing to share what her life is like now that she’s free from food addiction, and she wrote the following. May it inspire you with renewed hope and encouragement in your journey to live in the best health that’s possible!

 

What is it like to be free from food addiction?

by Felicia Ricks

 

The definition of addiction according to the dictionary is “a compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit forming substance.”

I never thought of food as a habit forming substance, but I always thought of it as a necessary requirement for the body to survive. It wasn’t until I heard Dr. Fuhrman talk about toxic hunger that I came to the realization that I had a food addiction and had a compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit forming substance.

When I initially started on Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian program, I experienced toxic hunger and I didn’t feel very well for several days. I asked myself, “Is this how drug addicts feel when they’re going through detoxification? This doesn’t feel good at all!” Although, I was experiencing some withdrawal symptoms I was determined to break the vicious cycle of food addiction by not eating the foods that caused the addiction. After enduring the “not so good days” I noticed that I wasn’t jittery, the headaches were non-existent and I didn’t feel the desire to put a Snickers bar in my mouth. I knew I was on the road to recovery.

Being free from my food addiction was an answered prayer because one of my prayers was to be self-controlled in my eating habits. However for many, many, years I was never able to consistently maintain self-control. It wasn’t until I totally committed to eating the foods that were originally intended for our bodies to absorb and digest such as, green vegetables, berries, onions, mushrooms, beans, seeds/nuts (GBOMBS) and COMPLETELY eliminated the refined, sugary, processed and synthetic foods and drinks, that I began to feel spiritually and physically liberated. I feel as though I am no longer bound and enslaved by the self-inflicted chains of food addiction and I am no longer defiling my body. I also feel as though a weight, figuratively and literally has been lifted from me and now I can honestly and unequivocally say that, “I am free indeed!”

Thank you Dr. Fuhrman for spreading the message and informing people about the benefits of healthy nutrition. Also for holding fast to the statement by Hippocrates, “Food shall be your medicine and your medicine shall be your food.”

 

“It will take strength. It will take effort. But the pleasure and rewards that you will get from a healthy life will be priceless.”
-Dr. Fuhrman

What is in YOUR food??

Posted by Rip Venice on April 25, 2013
Posted in: Encouragement. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Champions,

Here is a great article from an amazing resource, Organic Consumers Association.  The article and documentary (link at the bottom of the page) highlight some of the grave dangers that are associated with GMO.  These manmade products are unbelievably harmful to our ecosystem, our planets future and our own health.  

It goes hand in hand with what we preach here at TVL….THINK BEFORE YOU EAT!!!!

Take responsibility for what you put in your mouth.  If you dont have the ability to understand a label….LEARN!  Ask a question!?  Ask 2 questions!?  

If you cant put enough effort into researching what your food is actually made from and what it does for your health then you are exactly what these large corporations like Monsanto want.  

Stop being a pawn and start being proactive.  Take responsibility stop claiming ignorance.  The information on health and nutrition is out there.  ITS RIGHT HERE!!  The definition of stupidity is having life changing information at your disposal and doing nothing with it.  

My Champions are NOT stupid!  Now take some responsibility for what you eat.  Read a label, or learn how to.  Google the companies you purchase products from and find out if you agree with how they conduct business.  If you see a practice you dont believe in…stop supporting that organization!  You can do this people, I know you can.  You are strong.  You are disciplined.  You are Champions.

Small side note…maybe these Frankenfish further support the necessity of a vegan lifestyle???….just saying:)

ESSAY OF THE WEEK

Exposed: Why You Should Boycott Farmed Salmon

British Columbia’s pacific salmon, considered an essential species for the ecosystem, have been disappearing since the early 1990s. Biologist Alex Morton, who has followed and studied the decline for nearly 30 years, knows who’s to blame: fish farms. It seems that when commercial fish farms moved into the area, the wild salmon became infected with a number of life-threatening conditions, including parasitic sea lice, the highly lethal “salmon influenza” and other viruses.

The Canadian government is covering up Morton’s research and trying to silence her.

Today, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is set to approve the first genetically engineered salmon for sale in the U.S. Over the objections of more than 40 members of Congress and half a million U.S. consumers, the FDA says the GE salmon poses no threat to the environment, because the fish will never escape their “farms.”

Watch this full-length documentary, and you’ll know why this is a dangerous decision. And why you want to avoid factory-farm fish.

Watch the documentary

Think Before You Eat!

Posted by Rip Venice on April 25, 2013
Posted in: Encouragement. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Think Before You Eat!

Champions,

Click the “Think Before You Eat” tab at the top of this page for a great insight into the world of “traditional milk” which is consumed by the majority of Americans today.  This is a great pointer to what we preach here at TVL which is “THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU PUT IN YOUR FACE BEFORE YOU EAT OR DRINK!!!!”

We discuss all food options and keep an open mind when considering food choices.  That said, these research stories are great reminders to us to think before we blindly accept the meal or beverage that is set before us.

Remember, we encounter food more than any other substance on this planet during the course of a lifetime with the exceptions of water and air.  Thats a lot.  And if you dont think about the food/beverage choices that you are unconsciously making with every meal….someone else will do it for you.  And they WONT have your best health interests in mind.

Your life requires some effort, proactivity and responsibility.  Ask yourself a simple question…”am i worth it?”  Rip says YES….now lets get you to say YES

How Bad Do You Want It?

Posted by Rip Venice on April 19, 2013
Posted in: Encouragement. Tagged: , , , , , , . 1 comment

Champions,

This is one of my absolute favorite videos and if you havent seen it yet, I would like to share it with you this evening.

In life it is easy to succumb to our feelings. Its easy to make excuses. Its easy to stay in a warm bed when the water is cold outside, when the desert is hot, the snow is freezing, the wind is blowing, the sun isnt shining, or the rain is falling. We must rejoice in these times for it is through these adversities that we build true character and the strength necessary to succeed.

In everything we do from getting up in the morning to the manner in which we go to sleep at night we ask ourselves “How bad do I want this?”. I challenge you to push harder. I challenge you to fight longer. I challenge you to struggle more. I challenge you to bite your tongue instead of complaining. If you are being challenged by circumstances in life, it means life sees something special in you. It sees a glimmer of light. It sees possibilities. It sees your true self. It sees a Champion. Answer this call. Get up! Go train! Eat right! Make sacrifices for your goals!

In everything you do ask yourself, “How bad do I really want this?”. Until you want this lifestyle change as bad as you want to breathe, you dont want it bad enough. And life will continue to repeat this cycle until you answer the call.

Take your life back! Its yours, fight for it.

Read & Share

Posted by Rip Venice on April 10, 2013
Posted in: Encouragement. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 comment

Champions!

Please read the article below.  It is from an incredible resource, diseaseproof.com, which is a huge contributor to The Venice Lifestyle.  The information on this site, provided by Nutrarian and M.D. Joel Fuhrman, is invaluable.  If you ever have a question about how this lifestyle will affect you longterm, I suggest you read some articles on this beautiful site.

This one in particular is concerning a “High Protein, Low Carb Diet”.  Please read on….then eat some veggies or fruit!

 

Ha Ha Ha! Low-Carb, High-Protein Diets Damage Arteries.

Oh, those silly low-carb diets. Will they ever learn! Here’s more bad news for low-carb. A new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found low-carb, high-protein diets damage arties:

Diets based on eating lots of meat, fish and cheese, while restricting carbohydrates have grown in popularity in recent years.

But the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the US found such habits caused artery damage in tests on mice.

The researchers and independent experts both agreed a balanced diet was the best option…

…Lead researcher Anthony Rosenzweig said the findings were so concerning to him that he decided to come off the low-carb diet he was following.

He added: “Our research suggests that, at least in animals, these diets could be having adverse cardiovascular effects.

“It appears that a moderate and balanced diet, coupled with regular exercise, is probably best for most people.”

And in 2007, a study found low-carb diets, like Atkins, cause long-term damage to blood vessels. Dr. Fuhrman is no fan of high-protein diets, all that saturated fat and insufficient plant nutrients increases risk of heart disease and cancer:

The Atkins diet (and other diets rich in animal products and low in fruits and unrefined carbohydrates) is likely to significantly increase a person’s risk of colon cancer. Scientific studies show a clear and strong relationship between cancers of the digestive tract, bladder, and prostate with low fruit consumption. What good is a diet that lowers your weight but also dramatically increases your chances of developing cancer?

A meat-based, low-fiber diet, like the one Atkins advocates, includes little or no fruit, no starchy vegetables, and no whole grains. Following Atkin’s recommendations could more than double your risk of certain cancers, especially meat-sensitive cancers, such as epithelial cancers of the respiratory tract.1 For example, a study conducted by the National Cancer Institute looked at lung cancer in nonsmoking women so that smoking would not be a major variable. Researchers found that the relative risk of lung cancer was six times greater in women in the highest fifth of saturated-fat consumption than those in the lowest fifth.

I asked Dr. Fuhrman to comment on this study. He chuckled at the news, saying, “This study definitely proves once and for all that mice should not be eating the Atkins diet. They should get Jenny Craig. Furthermore, vegetables make pigs fat, so maybe we shouldn’t eat them either.”

Image credit: jaxxon

 

Quick Dinner

Posted by Rip Venice on April 10, 2013
Posted in: Encouragement. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Champions!

How we doing this evening?  How is the Fat Flushing progressing?  Have you been consistent with your Cranwaters?

Wanted to share this quick dinner recipe with you all.  Remember…the more we share recipes, tips, encouragement and success stories, the stronger our community becomes.  The stronger and more consistent we become because we are accountable to each other.  Share, Share, Share, we want to hear whats going on!

Recipe:  1 can black beans.  1 cup rice/quinoa.  1 handful kale.  1 cup chopped onions.  1 cup fresh corn (frozen corn).  1 avocado.  1 lime.

Procedure: Bring 2 cups water to boil with a little salt and pepper.  Add rice/quinoa and bring to boil.  In separate skillet/small bowl slowly heat kale, onion and corn with lime juice and a little vegan butter or veggie oil.  Sauté this mix, reducing heat when veggies are well grilled.  Add black beans and heat.  Set to side.  Finish rice/quinoa and kill the heat.  Grab a bowl, add a little of everything together, slice up your avocado and your eating a dope dinner!  Get creative with other veggies, seasonings, baked chips, wheat tortillas…anything that you want to add to make this your own.  Try making your own vegan aoli with some veganaise (Trader Joes $4.99), cholula/tapatio and a little lime juice!  Really good to add to this dinner.

Happy eating Champions!  A beautiful life is yours for the taking if you are willing to make a few simple lifestyle choices that will contribute to your long term health and wellness.

Love Rip!

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Winding Down

Posted by Rip Venice on April 5, 2013
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Champions,

As you wind down this evening remember that through adversity comes character.  Through challenge comes strength.  Through experience comes wisdom.  And by facing our fears we become invincible.  

For many of you this lifestyle change is “impossible”.  You dont like the guidelines for what to eat.  You dont like the idea of “wasting time” in a gym or on yourself.  The thought of giving up your secret comforts actually scares you.  Rip is here to tell you that by facing these fears, together, you will unlock potential that you never knew you had access to.  Life is a lesson, and the only thing it requires is a willing participant to test the boundaries of what has been done to unveil what can be done.  Are you that willing participant?  Can you challenge yourself, your habits, your comforts, and your current lifestyle to create a better existence for yourself and everyone who you come into contact with?  Yes you can.

When you dont feel like making a Cranwater to start your day, remember these words.  When you dont feel like taking the time each day to exercise and push your personal boundaries, this is your mantra.  When you dont feel like participating anymore, ask yourself…”who runs my life, me or my feelings??”  When this life experience presents you a beautiful opportunity to grow through adversity…step up and take it head on.  From your bravery you will draw strength.  From your consistency you will build sustainability.  By breaking down your weakness you will create true strength.  You can do it.

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-Rip