New Liquid Strength CLASS !!!!

The new class will not be monday but Friday at 9:30 am !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Story von Holzhausen

Thursday night classes......

I have found a studio on West 72nd that I am considering renting to teach classes on Thursday nights. I would love for all of you to think about what time would work for you and if you are interested in adding in another day...

Story von Holzhausen

raw.....

Our kitchen looks like a vegetable stand. There is green in every drawer, shelf and crevice. As I blogged earlier, Kurt was doing a yeast free diet for his migraine syndrome when I brought home a free sample of recovery drink that he liked. The man who created the drink is the author of the "Thrive Diet". He is champion Iron Man competitor and he is vegan and raw. I also read (interesting timing) a book by Dr. Perricone about "ageless mind". This book gives specific nutrient advice and dietary guidelines for anti aging and optimal health.

There is some commonality between these books. It seems like these common bonds are the ones that are worth passing onto my readers. Kurt is better. He is off of coffee, sugar and processed food. His energy and mood are so great that as hard as this diet is, I want him to stay on it. He also looks younger. I can't put my finger on what it is but there is a difference. When you marry someone younger than you, you notice these things, haha.

I am not as motivated as he is. Sharp blinding pain is a pretty good motivator. I have made some changes and been very surprised by some things I have found. Let me give you the basics about what all three of these "theories" share:

1) Our bodies are aged by food that contains sugar. It causes inflammation on the cellular level.

2) We change our PH when we eat badly. This may or may not cause an over growth of yeast. This can manifest itself as illness, exhaustion, headache etc. For me (and my daughter), we get skin rashes. Really dry feet are fungal/yeast related. Very chapped lips (which I have suffered from my whole life) and pimples/rash on the back of your arms and on your behind can all be caused by yeast/fungus. When we eat sugar, we "feed" the yeast and make our PH friendly to yeast.

3) Cooking food (especially meats and oils), changes the chemical structure. High temperature alters healthy fats into unhealthy ones. Similar to sun damage on our skin, cooking meats/fats harshly ages our bodies.

4) We lose photo nutrients and enzymes in food when we cook it.

These are the claims that these three books make. My personal experience beliefs are that these facts are mostly true. The changes that I have made are big but doable:

1) I eat no sugar

2) I cook my own food and eat no canned, packages, boxed food.

3) My intake of leafy greens (spinach, Kale etc) is much higher than before.

4) I am cooking our fish at 325 degrees

What I have found is:

1) I like green juice.

2) Some veggies are great raw. They are much more filling but also give me gas.

3) I can eat a ridiculous amount of raw nuts and lose weight (I don't even want to lose weight). This is the weirdest part as if I add up the calories, the math does not make sense...

4) Ice cream does not sound good to me.

Kurt is eating all veggies raw. He is eating only fish. We have use almond milk, hemp milk, soy milk and I use skim milk in my tea. The easiest way to "eat out" is to order salads or steamed or poached fish and veggies.

I will keep you all posted on how it is going. I am not sure what further changes I will make or how long we will stay on this diet. It is interesting as a fitness/health professional to document and witness these changes. I hope you all find it interesting too. You will have to tell me if you see changes that I may not notice.

I have to say, the best part for me is that I have no desire to eat junk. NONE. The kids candy, dessert etc. is not tempting to me. That alone is huge.

Story von Holzhausen

Theory/quackery/health

It is amazing what a big business health/fitness/weight loss is. Even for someone who knows all the science and lingo, the bevy of claims is dizzying. There are so many theories about nutrition. Everyone has a philosophy that they swear by. Many of these completely conflict. How do we sort through what is fact and what is fiction?

The answer is illusive. So much of food science we still don't understand. Every year there is new research and then a few years later a study will come out proving it wrong. So much of what I learned in college in my nutrition classes has now been proven wrong. In college, we learned that trans fats were simply fats with an extra hydrogen atom pumped in. We had no idea that these fats were damaging. We also learned that Coconut oil was saturated and unhealthy. It has now been proven to be one of the healthiest for us.

The food pyramid has been re-written and everyone has their own version. I have been reading a few books lately including:

The Thrive Diet (vegan/super athletic/restrictive calorie)

The Yeast Diet (sugar/fermented food etc. free)

Pericone's ageless face/ageless mind (antioxidant/anti-inflammatory)

The authors of these books are passionate about their diets. They are convincing in their presentation of science/results. There are aspects of these books that are highly questionable in the medical community. That does not mean that they are wrong or right, it simply means that they are unproven either way.

In the effort to grow and learn it is important to constantly question our knowledge and our "knowns". It is also very important to realize that every person is different. Their DNA and physical/mental traits are uniquely their own. That being said, we are all the same species and there are some commonalities we share. In the effort to educate , I am going to attempt to pass on the salient points that I have taken from these three books/theories.

Although each book has it's own regimen and sometimes they are in conflict, there are some points in which they all agree. For me, these are the points that seem most important and valuable to most of us.

There seem to be 3 major issues dealt with here:

1) Our bodies react to food. Food can change our PH balance and can cause inflammation and create an environment for yeast to grow and for our natural digestive flora to be thrown off.

2) Food contains anti-oxidants and flavanoids/natural chemicals that can have a very positive and healing effect on our bodies.

3) The average American Diet has been invaded by genetically altered very unhealthy food.

Tackling these issues will take me more than one blog entry. I am using myself and Kurt as test studies, taking to Sharon Richter, my very good friend and nutritionist and various other health professionals to attempt to take the "good" out of these theories and present them in a way that is helpful and authentic.

So far there are some things I have learned (or relearned) that are worth sharing:

1) Nobody can argue that fresh fruits and vegetables are the best things we can eat. If we do not process or overcook them, all the better. Many veggies are best for us raw. Veggies can and should be worked into all of our meals. The more variety the better and there is no such thing as "too much".

2) The concept of "fat free" is wrong and unhealthy. Vitamin A,D, E and K are fat soluble vitamins. We need fat in our diet. Essential fat is called essential for a reason. We need to eat healthy fats and get the rest out of our diets as much as we can. Healthy fats (I will get into this in more depth later but this is the point I find most exciting) not only are good for our hearts and brains, they can actually HELP us lose weight.

3) Sugar is horrible for us. Horrible. Nobody needs it in their diet. It is so addictive and (I know I LOVE sweets too !!) in is in way too much of our foods. Sugar is hidden in our food to make us eat more and buy more and traps us in a cycle of cravings and guilt.

Story von Holzhausen

eating clean

Kurt had to go to Sweden and had a hard time finding food to stay on the "yeast free" plan. When he ordered sushi he said he could taste vinegar in the sushi rice. A migraine followed so he is starting to believe that the mold allergy could be a big factor in his migraine syndrome. Did you know that you can order "gluten free" meals on most airlines. You can also pack salads and carry them on the airplane with you. In most cases, the food you bring is a much better option than airline food....

I have been eating a lot of bison burger. There is a gazpacho soup (home made but not by me) that I LOVE and I just cut up the bison or turkey burger and put it in the soup with some added veggies. I do not eat red meat usually but I know that I am a little anemic after some health issues over the summer and I find that my body wants and needs these bison burgers. Normally, I eat only fish and cage free eggs but bison is very lean and I am "diggin it" right now.

Going into week 3 of being essentially sugar free, I am less hungry at night and do not have cravings for junk. Although my brain still asks: "what can I munch on now" while I am watching tv or doing a crossword puzzle at night, I find that nothing sounds good to me and I just brush my teeth and go read. That is a huge change for me.

I am eating a lot of nuts. It seems logical to me that raw nuts (not roasted) are healthier for you since they are in their natural form. Many oils break down when cooked and are better used post heat. (Canola oil is a much better oil to cook with than olive oil for this reason). I love all nuts so I buy them in bulk and grab a handful to munch as dessert. Strangely, if I counted calories (which I do not believe in and have never done) I should be gaining weight but I am not. I feel great. There is no swelling in the morning in my joints or hands/face and my energy is way up. I am also back to my pre-hormone/pregnancy weight.

Being such a sweet toothed person, I find it amazing that after a week or so, it can be so easy to not eat sugar. There is a lot to be said for "avoidance" vs. "moderation" in my opinion.

Story von Holzhausen

Liquid Strength® Fall. "yeast free diet"

After 3 years of trying everything for his "migraine syndrome", my husband is now trying to the "Yeast Free Diet". Allergy tests showed that he has a delayed and very extreme mold allergy. We all hear about people going "dairy free" or "wheat free". The jury is still out as to what if any benefits these diets offer the average person but for some people they can be life altering.

What has been enlightening to me is just how hard it is to eat so simply. Basically, mold/yeast is in anything that is fermented (this means no vinegar, wine, beer, mustard, soy sauce etc.). Mold can also grow in the shells of nuts, in coffee beans, tea leaves,fruit with pits and all melons and berries. Sugar is said to "feed yeast" so all sugar and sugar containing things are out too. That means even dairy products because they contain Lactose, a natural sugar.

Because I am the one who shops and cooks, I have had to educate myself and get creative with our food supplies and menu. Although I am not doing the diet like Kurt is, it is hard to argue with the logic of eating fresh fruits and vegetables and lean protein with no added junk....

We are not the "average" couple/family as it is regarding diet and exercise but this experience has taught me that even we use some products that are not 100% healthy. The first thing to go was the artificially sweetened products. In an effort to avoid sugar, it is easy to ingest a great deal of chemicals. Especially in drinks and yogurt etc. The only natural sweetener that is chemical free is Stevia and very few companies are using it.(Vitamin Water Zero is the only mainstream drink I can think of that currently uses Stevia).

We all LOVE bread/pasta/bagels etc. but the reality is that nobody can argue with the fact that fresh fruits and vegetables are better carbs. They yield myriad nutrients and photo-chemicals that we are only beginning to understand. I am going to share our journey a little with this way of eating. Kurt has a very specific and compelling reason to try this diet. He has spent 3 years battling horrific migraines that he has up to 70% of the time. Very few people need to eat with this kind of rigidity but all of us could steer our diets more along the lines of this kind of eating and be much healthier for it.

I invite all of you to come along on this journey and try to make some changes in how you "feed" your body and your awareness of what is in the food you eat. The next couple weeks I am going to be sharing some samples of the changes we have made and what I see happening with Kurt and with myself. I am curious to see what will happen....

The "Allowed" foods:

Grains:

oats (steel cut only), rice, barley (not malted), potatoes, sweet potatoes,

buckwheat

Fruits:

any kind of fruit besides grapes, melons and berries (up to 2 pieces a day but I am eating more)

Vegetables:

all

All lean proteins

oils:

olive, safflower, sunflower all raw.

Nuts and seeds:

almonds, brazil, cashews, filberts, pecans pumpkin seeds.

It sounds pretty easy but breakfast was really challenging. Kurt has no time and the cafeteria at work is not an option. What we did was buy several boxes of steel cut oats and cage free eggs and basically turned our kitchen into a mess hall.... I hauled down the "lobster pot" and we cooked the biggest batch of steel cut oats I have ever seen. (Steel cut oats must be cooked for up to 45 minutes so you need to plan ahead.) We also "soft boiled" 3 dozen eggs and put them back into their cartons so we could grab them as needed out of the fridge.

For breakfast, Kurt is packing a tupperware container with a the steel cut oats (I cooked some cinnamon with them for flavor and added anti oxidant benefit), two eggs and an aluminum container with unsweetened soy milk or almond milk.

For lunch he eats a salad with whatever he likes with olive oil and lemon. For dinner, I make a typical fish and vegetables dinner. The biggest challenge has been trying to find something to marinade the fish in. I usually use wine and some soy sauce so lemon is all I have left. I toss in lots of herbs and freeze dried garlic and onions.

I would love to see all of you try a day/week of eating like this. It takes a little bit of work but it is not as hard as I thought it would be. After 3 days, you get pretty used to it. I will be checking in and sharing the challenges and what I see happening with Kurt and myself.

Kurt has given up coffee which I have not. The first day he had a headache (not a migraine) but some advil cleared it right up). He is on day 5 and has not had a migraine but I am not sure that it is the diet that has made a difference yet. He said he felt "full in his stomach but still hungry" for the first 3 days. I ate oatmeal for dessert at night. I can't sleep if I am hungry. Kurt has lost a pound (not that he needed to). After a week we will add in nuts which will help him a lot.

Story von Holzhausen

A health nut American in Spain.

Kurt and I arrived in the beautiful seaside Eden of Marbella Spain. Our hotel was beyond elegant and had 3 upscale restaurants. We like to empty out our mini bar of booze and temptations and fill it up with healthy stuff. It makes trevelling more cost effective and much healthier.

We walked to the grocery store to the horror of the hotel staff who could not believe we could possibly walk that distance. (To a New Yorker, it was about a 10 block stretch and no biggie). We armed ourselves with a back pack and rolling shopping basket and prepare to witness the "way healthier and less processed" edible offerings of the Mediterranean. The dairy section was first up and with my Italian and Kurt's Spanglish we begin to attempt to conquer the wall of yogurt. The goal was to find fat free and unsweetened. 20 minutes later we both have what we think to be just that but take 3 options just in case. Next up in natural order is the cereal aisle. Some brands are familiar (Special K) but we find some very comical alterations. There was a box with a shapely womanly figure with the word FITNESS in big lettering. This particular cereal came in Chocolate and Dark Chocolate flavors only.

The next section was the Pate/meat in various forms. We saw more glorified Spam and shrink wrapped animal fat than I have ever seen in one place. Heading towards the "fish" section I spotted what I thought was some kind of pasta. On closer inspection, it turned out to be small eels that resembled nothing so much as a mosh pit of worms preserved in plastic. 40 minutes into our shopping trip, we looked down into our basket and had....yogurt.

The fruit and vegetables in Spain are fantastic. The fish and olive oil are some of the best I have ever had. I was amazed however at just how few "healthy" options there were. There were very few heavy people in Spain. It was clear to see that the difference between American and Spanish diets were portion size, less snacking and more freshly prepared meals. We are very aware of "fat free" and I believe that perhaps that is not the way to go. Healthy fats seem to help our body let go of fat (fat is essential after all) and be much more satisfied with smaller and healthier meals. A plate of grilled fish and vegetables with a grassy and flavorful olive oil is so satisfying that you don't miss the bread and "bulk" of the typical American plate.

Presentation and plate size are radically different in Spain. The celebration of food,quality of ingredients and taking time to prepare and to sit down and eat (slowly and with relish) were reminders of what we, as Americans, have drifted away from.

We can all bring the inspiration and example of the Mediterranean to our lives. Be daring in your exploration of fresh produce and the many miraculously diverse and delicious offerings of the Sea. Just like wine, olive oil is varied and subtle and worth tasting all different kinds to find which flavor from grassy to spicy and you like best.

The more we move away from "dieting" and begin to actually feed ourselves with joy and relish, the healthier and happier we will be.

Story von Holzhausen