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May your world be surrounded in peace, your heart filled with love, and your thoughts a fountain of wisdom.

THE TRUTH ABOUT BOTTLED WATER



My friend Erica Rose (The Bachelor, The Bachelor Pad 2, You're Cut Off) was raving about GOBIE™ a little while ago, so I ordered my first bottle and am a total GOBIE™ lover now!

Rusty Allen is the brains behind GOBIE™, and after reading the article that I have attached the link to below, you'll see why I support his dedication to providing clean water and reducing waste in our environment, too. I lived in Manhattan Beach, CA for quite some time, and Rusty hails from Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach's next-door-neighbor. I live in New York now, but it makes me happy that a product I love with a powerful message comes from such a great area!

With my GOBIE™ bottle and replacement filters, I don't have to waste money buying tons of water bottles and can make any tap water taste great! They're so easy to carry around and are good for 3 months, 100 gallons, or, 290 refills! By using a GOBIE™ instead of buying and disposing of bottled water, we can reduce over 1,000 water bottles which makes a huge impact on our environment. If you want to join me in saving money, reducing our impact on the environment, and enjoying pure water, get your GOBIE™ today! http://gobieh2o.com
Here is a more detailed description of the product:
The GOBIEH2O carbon filter is a critical element of the bottle’s innovative design. Sourced from one of the best filtration development companies in the world and designed with a commitment to conservation and reusability, the GOBIEH2O filter features an ingenious design with a strong scientific pedigree.

Active Carbon is an extremely porous organic material that snares a wide range of harsh chemicals and contaminants. One step past that is activated carbon, which has a positive electrical charge added, therefore making it an even better magnet for chemicals and impurities. Active carbon filters have been shown to be the most effective method for filtering water – so that’s what we use.
In keeping with GOBIE’s commitment to sustainable resources, low-impact manufacturing and providing support for eco-conscious businesses, the GOBIEH2O filters are developed using one of Mother Nature’s own natural resources: coconuts! The strong fibers in the coconut shell are heated and infused with pure oxygen to create the carbon granules that will become the filter for your water.
The best part of using coconut shell as the filter material is that while millions of coconuts are grown for use in carbon filters, the growing process is great for the environment – the acres upon acres of lush, green trees put back more beneficial elements into the atmosphere than they take away. It’s a renewable resource that’s good for the world during its entire life cycle!
The GOBIEH2O water filter is an impressive workhorse, too. You’ll be able to filter 100 gallons of regular tap water – turning it into clean, pure, delicious water – before you need to change your filter. 100 gallons! In bottled water terms, that’s 800 plastic water bottles you won’t be using once and then throwing away. Go GOBIE – and go green.

Message in a Bottle

BY: CHARLES FISHMANJuly 1, 2007
Message in a Bottle
Americans spent more money last year on bottled water than on ipods or movie tickets: $15 Billion. A journey into the economics - and psychology - of an unlikely business boom. And what it says about our culture of indulgence.

Read the rest of this very important article here: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/117/features-message-in-a-bottle.html?page=0%2C0

CRUNCHES

Many people have the wrong idea about crunches and seem to think that its some sort of contest to test how many they can accomplish in one session. It doesn't matter if you do 1,000 sit-ups or 100, what matter sis how effective they are. Most of us are on the quest to achieving a toned, taught tummy, and I can tell you right now that hundreds of sit-ups will bore you more than help you. Though I know what its like to be out of shape, I've still never had issues with belly fat before, because my mother taught me from a young age to always "suck it in tight".


Bodybuilders say "Abs are made in the kitchen", and this is very true. A proper low-carb and more plant-based diet will aid in the fat burning process of cardio and crunches. By avoiding salty, processed foods and consuming the correct fruits and vegetables with great workouts, you can fight that bloat and rock those sexy abs!


This is a behind-the-scenes pic from a shoot, and there is zero photoshop. I don't look exactly like this right now, but I'll be back there soon!



As a Nationally competitive equestrian in the past, I found the importance in core strength to support proper posture and balance. From experience, I've seen many athletes injure themselves because though they were incredibly fit, they simply didn't have the core strength to stay "put together" and would use their upper and lower bodies too much. Our center simply cannot be ignored, not only are tight abs sexy, but they're extremely important!


If you can do at least three reps of 20 correct upper, lower and oblique crunches once or twice a day, you will thank me later. If you are just getting back into working out full-force again, you can break these reps up into sets of 15 to start, then increase as long as you feel the burn and your crunches are legit.



Also, if you aren't familiar with planking (as in work-out planking, not the Facebook craze), you ought to get into it now! This is an excellent way to strengthen your core anywhere, whether you are at home, the gym, the beach, the park, etc. There are a couple of photos below of a regular plank and one-legged plank for you to get a better idea of what the position looks like.


Get into push-up position, then go down to your elbows while keeping your body completely still. Focus on using your core to hold yourself in that position for exactly a minute. If your arms tire right away, that means you aren't using enough of your core, so tighten that baby up! For one-legged plank, get into the same potion and take turns holding one leg up at a time, this will tone your booty and hamstrings while tightening your core.




I'll have to take photos of other proper sit-up positions that are very effective at some point so that you can have more of a visual reference.

WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN

I've been borderline-obsessed with Ancient Egypt since childhood, when I would go to museums and beg my family to see the mummy exhibits with me. My parents probably thought that I was seriously disturbed, since reading Stephen King and looking at mummies by age eight isn't exactly normal. I took an anthropology course in college and was absolutely fascinated by all that I learned, so I hope to visit Egypt to see the ruins someday. 


There are many methods that were developed by the Ancient Egyptians and are still used today, such as condoms, high heels, paper, pens, surgery, hospitals, makeup, skin care, calendars and sailing. I performed a monologue in High School as Cleopatra from 'Antony and Cleopatra', and I can still remember most of it by heart...




Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have
Immortal longings in me. Now no more
The juice of Egypt's grape shall moist this lip.


Yare, yare, good Iras; quick. Methinks I hear
Antony call; I see him rouse himself
To praise my noble act; I hear him mock
The luck of Caesar, which the gods give men
To excuse their after wrath. 


Husband, I come;
Now to that name my courage prove my title!
I am fire and air; my other elements
I give to baser life. So; have you done?
Come then, and take the last warmth of my lips.

Farewell, kind Charmian; Iras, long farewell.Have I the aspic in my lips? Dost fall?
If thou and nature can so gently part,
The stroke of death is as a lover's pinch,
Which hurts, and is desired. 


Dost thou lie still?
If thus thou vanishest, thou tell'st the world
It is not worth leave-taking.



Want!


MIND AND BODY


"Protect the purity of your mind and body — they are the vehicle of your spirit. When you continually strengthen your body and sharpen your mind, your spirit will have the power to take you wherever you wish to go." -Taro Gold

A cheesy workout photo for your enjoyment.

FEED YOUR BRAIN


"All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was." -Ernest Hemingway




I'm the one with the Halloween candy, and I'm surrounded by children who all want a piece. They wear masks and pretend to be genuine, but once they get the candy, they're off to the next house. When one trips me, they all just step over me and keep going without helping me up.

SNACKING ON CANDY IS NOT CUTE

People seem to eat so much goddamn candy while working! It seems that they'd rather have cavities from sugar highs than a few almonds. The occasional treat is fine, but its best to keep your snacks sugar-free as much as possible. Being "fat-skinny" is not healthy!


(Notice how yellow her teeth are)

INCOHERENT HOOK-UPS ARE NOT CUTE


Intellectual conversation is far more stimulating than slurred speech and whiskey breath, drunkies! I've been a "babysitter" for years, and I'm just over taking care of people who don't appreciate me for it. I've had my own moments in the past where I needed help, and people weren't there for me because they didn't want to leave their party to make sure that I was okay. That is extremely selfish and immature behavior that simply cannot be tolerated.

No one is perfect and we've all had our "sloppy moments", but those should to be rare, and they're always the drinker's fault. Everyone ought to be aware that there is such a thing as being allergic to alcohol, too, so those symptoms simply cannot be ignored. If you think that you have a problem, please get the help that you need before you let the bottle control you. I don't mean to be harsh, but I get very frustrated every time people get "angry" with me because I won't drink as much as they do and would rather go home and get my beauty sleep. 

Though most heavy drinkers can't remember half of the things that they say or do, please remember that all forms of self-inflicted abuse aren't just hurting you, they're hurting your loved ones as well. You are all loved, so don't throw that away for the sake of partying, because you are amazing just as you are.


The guilt trip that I would get when I burned a ton of calories in spin class and then ruined it by eating crap at four in the morning when I'm lactose-intolerant made my hangovers even worse the next day. Our bodies tell us when we've had enough, and though it makes you feel skinny and sober afterwards, throwing-up is disgusting. If you consume a high-protein meal before going out and don't mix your liquor, you will be far less likely to "drunk eat" or throw-up. Avoiding creepy men who try to get you drunk is also a top priority when going out, that's for sure!


Hooking-up with random people while blacked-out is just plain trashy! I don't know about you, but I don't see any fun in being too wasted to remember if I had fun or not. I don't understand what is so great about one-night-stands that causes some people to experience them so often. Its easy to be physically attracted to someone without having an emotional connection, so wouldn't you rather have fun with a friend that respects you than a random drunk at a bar? This article obviously doesn't apply to serious relationships, so please be safe and don't let partying lower your standards!

Jezebel (http://jezebel.com) never fails to make me literally LOL!
Failed Hookups And The Drunken Stages Of Grief
Sarah Hall — Sometimes you just want to find a warm body at the bottom of that $10 pitcher. And if that's the name of your game during a night out, there's a chance that at least once in your life (unless you are Wilt Chamberlain), you will find yourself in a post-midnight tailspin due to the perceived inability to find that special someone. At the bar. Silly! Nevertheless, of the many kinds of alcohol-induced meltdowns out there, this is the one that most closely adheres to the Kübler-Ross grief cycle.

1. Denial
Sure, you've had a few cocktails — but it's not like you are drunk or anything! In fact, you feel amazing — you are the best version of yourself.  Everything you say is hilarious, everyone in the bar wants to have sex with you, and your hair is just so incredibly shiny.  Some might say that because you are gushing to a complete stranger while continuously touching them somewhere near their elbow, you are intoxicated.  You laugh in their faces.  This isn't called "alcohol."  This is called "confidence," people. Get with it.

2. Anger
You've been throwing quite a few back tonight, and you've grown belligerent and paranoid.  EVERYTHING IS SO ANNOYING. When did this bar get packed with stupid people? Why isn't that guy coming back over here to buy you another drink? And when did this damn bathroom line get so long? What the hell are women doing in there? Are they having in-depth conversations with their vaginas about how they're so drunk? Why did your friend tell everyone about that fight you had with your boss? Is she secretly trying to sabotage you? Maybe you should just go storming out of the bathroom and tell her how you really feel.

3. Bargaining
Okay, yes, you should probably wrap things up. Just one more drink before you head home. You don't want to suddenly sober up while taking public transportation. And hey, one more drink might actually make this place fun again. Frankly, your dance moves are heating up and all they need is a little liquid fuel to propel you towards lift off.  Do you really need to leave? Sure you haven't met anyone you like. Yet.  It could still happen.  There are still men in this place who aren't leftover desperate creepers.  If you just hang out by the bar making sexy faces for another 20 minutes, the person of your dreams will probably come buy you a martini.

4. Depression
You will never get laid. You should have just stayed home. It would have been cheaper and you could have caught up on your Netflix. Work tomorrow will be a complete disaster because you will have a post-bender stroke, which will prevent you from being coherent when it matters. You can barely afford the round of shots you bought, because you're a loser who doesn't have a good job because you're a drunk.

5. Acceptance
Okay, so you didn't wind up mattress-wrestling with someone tonight, and you're probably going to vomit in a shopping bag in a stairwell at the office tomorrow, but we've all been there. At least you had fun with your friends. You successfully executed the worm on the dance floor without giving yourself a traumatic brain injury. There's a pizza place around the corner and a DVR full of unwatched reality shows waiting for you at home. And the icing on your let-it-be cake: You didn't even lose your phone.

MEN: TURN YOUR BEER GUTS INTO CALORIE CUTS!


Almost every time I go out, I witness men partying with their friends and spending loads of money on eating and drinking while expecting women to flock to them and rub their beer bellies. I'm usually easy-going, but if I find myself with obnoxious people, I make a beeline for the opposite side of the venue to chat with friends who don't have their insecurities on display. 


Power is sexy, but being healthy and looking good is even sexier! Money won't buy true love, and the type of women that these men expect to have would probably end up leaving them for a man who took better care of himself (unless she was a mail-order bride).


When a man is rich with love, health and self-confidence (not cockiness) is far more attractive than a lonely, fat guy who spends his life trying to buy affection and jerks-off to photos of women that he could have if he just put down the super-sized burger.


A man who can afford a personal trainer ought to realize how lucky he is to have the opportunity to get his ass whipped into shape! We don't expect washboard abs and bulging biceps, but a little muscle tone and a lower BMI sure would be nice to see. Men who work out know that they're not just "manlier", everyone who exercises regularly has more energy, so physical and/or romantic relationships are far more enjoyable, too! If men expect women to look hot, then they ought to put forth some effort, too!

This photo screams ass-grabbing, not love!

THE 15 BIGGEST NUTRITION MYTHS


I enjoy reading the 'Eat This, Not That' section of Men's Health Magazine online, because David Ziczenko is usually on-point with most of his articles. Ziczenko is editor-in-chief of Men's Health Magazine and editorial director of Women's Health, Prevention, and Organic Gardening. He is also the co-owner of The Lion, one of my favorite restaurants here in New York, so I'm a fan!


15 Biggest Nutrition Myths

Angelina’s jealous that Brad’s still secretly in love with Jennifer! Tom Cruise keeps Katie Holmes trapped in a crazed religious complex! And aliens are manning the toll booths on a Nevada freeway! How do I know these things are true? Because I read them in the tabloids at my local supermarket.

The supermarket is rife with less-than-accurate reporting, and not just in the checkout-lane newspaper racks. Walk the aisles scanning food labels and you'll see the fallout from millions of lobbying and advertising dollars spent to posit faulty claims about health and nutrition. You'll find row upon endless row of foods that promise—explicitly or not—to improve your life, flatten your belly, and make you a happier person. The fact is, many of these foods do just the opposite. Learn how to separate fact from fiction and you might finally shed the habits that are silently sabotaging your chances of losing weight. But I must warn you: The truth can hurt.


MYTH #1: High fructose corn syrup is worse than table sugar
Whether or not added sugar is bad for you has never been in dispute. The less sugar you eat, the better. But whether HFCS is worse than plain 'ol table sugar has long been a contentious issue. Here’s what you need to know: Both HFCS and table sugar, or sucrose, are built with roughly a 50-50 blend of two sugars, fructose, and glucose. That means in all likelihood that your body can’t tell one from the other—they’re both just sugar. HFCS’s real sin is that it’s super cheap, and as a result, it’s added to everything from cereal to ketchup to salad dressing. Plus it may be affecting your health in ways not yet fully understood by the scientific community. Is it a good idea to minimize the HFCS in your diet? Absolutely. It’s best to cut out all unnecessary sugars. But HFCS’s role as nutritional enemy #1 has been exaggerated.


MYTH #2: Sea salt is a healthier version of regular salt
Everyday table salt comes from a mine and contains roughly 2,300 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon. Sea salt comes from evaporated seawater, and it also contains roughly 2,300 milligrams of sodium. That makes them, well, roughly identical. Advocates point to the fact that sea salt also contains other compounds like magnesium and iron, but in truth, these minerals exist in trace amounts. To obtain a meaningful dose, you’d have to take in extremely high and potentially dangerous levels of sodium. What’s more, traditional table salt is regularly fortified with iodine, which plays an important role in regulating the hormones in your body. Sea salt, on the other hand, gives you virtually zero iodine. The bottom line is this: If switching from table salt to sea salt causes you to consume even one extra granule, then you’ve just completely snuffed out whatever elusive health boon you hope to receive. Plus you’ve wasted a few bucks.


MYTH #3: Energy drinks are less harmful than soda
Energy drinks like Red Bull, Monster, and Full Throttle attempt to boost your energy with a cache of B vitamins, herbal extracts, and amino acids. But what your body’s going to remember most (especially around your waistline) is the sugar in these concoctions; a 16-ounce can delivers as much as 280 calories of pure sugar, which is about 80 calories more than you’d find in a 16-ounce cup of Pepsi. What’s more, a University of Maryland study found energy drinks to be 11 percent more corrosive to your teeth than regular soda. So here’s the secret that energy drink companies don’t want you to know: The only proven, significant energy boost comes from caffeine. If you want an energy boost, save yourself the sugar spike and drink a cup of coffee.


MYTH #4: Diet soda is harmless
The obesity-research community is becoming increasingly aware that the artificial sweeteners used in diet soda—aspartame and sucralose, for instance—lead to hard-to-control food urges later in the day. One Purdue study discovered that rats took in more calories if they'd been fed artificial sweeteners prior to mealtime, and a University of Texas study found that people who consume just three diet sodas per week were more than 40 percent more likely to be obese. Try weaning yourself off by switching to carbonated water and flavoring with lemon, cucumber, and fresh herbs.


MYTH #5: Low-fat foods are better for you
As it applies to food marketing, the term “low fat” is synonymous with “loaded with salt and cheap carbohydrates.” For instance, look at Smucker’s Reduced Fat Peanut Butter. To replace the fat it skimmed out, Smucker’s added a fast-digesting carbohydrate called maltodextrin. That’s not going to help you lose weight. A 2008 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that over a 2-year span, people on low-carb diets lost 62 percent more body weight than those trying to cut fat. (Plus, the fat in peanut butter is heart-healthy monounsaturated fat—you’d be better off eating more of it, not less!)


MYTH #6: “Trans-fat free” foods are actually trans-fat free
The FDA’s guidelines allow companies to claim 0 grams of trans fat—even broadcast it on the front of their packages—as long as the food in question contains no more than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. But here’s the deal: Due to an inextricable link to heart disease, the World Health Organization advises people to keep trans fat intake as low as possible, maxing out at about 1 gram per 2,000 calories consumed. If your cupboard’s full of foods with almost half a gram per serving, you might be blowing past that number every single day. TheAmerican Journal of Health Promotion recently published an article urging the FDA to rethink its lax regulations, but until that happens, you should avoid all foods with “partially hydrogenated oil” (meaning, trans fats) on their ingredients statements.


MYTH #7: Foods labeled “natural” are healthier
The FDA makes no serious effort to control the use of the word "natural" on nutrition labels. Case in point: 7UP boasts that it’s made with “100% Natural Flavors” when, in fact, the soda is sweetened with a decidedly un-natural dose of high fructose corn syrup. “Corn” is natural, but “high fructose corn syrup” is produced using a centrifuge and a series of chemical reactions. Other "natural" abusers include Natural Cheetos, which are made with maltodextrin and disodium phosphate, and “natural advantage” Post Raisin Bran, which bathes its raisins in both sugar and corn syrup. The worst part is, you're likely paying a premium price for common junk food.


MYTH #8: Egg yolks raise your cholesterol
Egg yolks contain dietary cholesterol; this much is true. But research has proven that dietary cholesterol has almost nothing to do with serum cholesterol, the stuff in your blood. Wake Forest University researchers reviewed more than 30 egg studies and found no link between egg consumption and heart disease, and a study in Saint Louis found that eating eggs for breakfast could decrease your calorie intake for the remainder of the day.


MYTH #9: Eating junk food helps battle stress
You’ve been there: Stressed out and sprawled across your sofa with one arm elbow deep in a bag of cheese puffs. In the moment, it can be comforting, but a study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that people who consumed the most highly processed foods were 58 percent more likely to be depressed than those who ate the least. Your move: Find a healthy stress snack. Peanut butter and Triscuits do the trick, or check out the next myth…


MYTH #10: Chocolate is bad for you
Cocoa is a plant-based food replete with flavonoids that increase blood flow and release feel-good endorphins. Plus, it contains a healthy kind of saturated fat called stearic acid, which research has shown can increase your good HDL cholesterol. But here’s the rub: When most people think of chocolate, their minds jump immediately to milk chocolate, which contains far more sugar than actual cocoa. Instead, look for dark chocolate, specifically those versions that tell you exactly how much cocoa they contain. A bar with 60% cocoa is good, but the more cocoa it contains, the greater the health effects.


Myth #11: Granola is good for you
Oats are good for you, and the same goes for oatmeal. But granola takes those good-for-you hunks of flattened oat, blankets them in sugar, and bakes them in oil to give them crunch. The amount of fat and sugar added to each oat is at the discretion of food processors, but you can bet your last cup of milk it’s going to far sweeter and more fatty than a bowl of regular cereal. Take this example: A single cup of Quaker Natural Granola, Nuts & Raisins has 420 calories, 30 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of fat. Switch to a humble cup of Kix and you drop down about 90 calories, 2.5 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of fat.


MYTH #12: Bananas are the best source of potassium
Your body uses potassium to keep your nerves and muscles firing efficiently, and an adequate intake can blunt sodium’s effect on blood pressure. One 2009 study found that a 2:1 ratio of potassium to sodium could halve your risk of heart disease, and since the average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day, your goal should be 6,800 milligrams of daily potassium. You’re extremely unlikely to ever reach that mark—and never with bananas alone. One medium banana has 422 milligrams and 105 calories. Here are the sources that earn you roughly the same amount of potassium in fewer calories:    * Potato, half a medium spud, 80 calories    * Apricots, 5 whole fruit, 80 calories    * Cantaloupe, 1 cup cubes, 55 calories    * Broccoli, 1 full stalk, 50 calories    * Sun-dried tomatoes, a quarter cup, 35 calories


MYTH #13: Oranges are the best source of Vitamin C
Far more than a simple immune booster, vitamin C is an antioxidant that plays a host of important roles in your body. It strengthens skin by helping to build collagen, improves mood by increasing the flow of norepinephrine, and bolsters metabolic efficiency by helping transport fat cells into the body’s energy-burning mitochondria. But since your body can neither store nor create the wonder vitamin, you need to provide a constant supply. An orange is the most famous vitamin-C food, and although it’s a good source, it’s by no means the best. For 70 calories, one orange gives you about 70 micrograms of vitamin C. Here are five sources with just as much vitamin C and even fewer calories:    * Papaya, ¾ cup, 50 calories    * Brussel’s sprouts, 1 cup, 40 calories    * Strawberries, 7 large fruit, 40 calories    * Broccoli, ½ stalk, 25 calories    * Red Bell Pepper, ½ medium pepper, 20 calories


MYTH #14: Organic is always better
Often, but not in every case. Organic produce is almost nutritionally identical to its conventional counterpart. The issue is pesticide exposure—pesticides have been linked to an increased risk of obesity in some studies. But many conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are very low in pesticides. Take, for example, the conventional onion: It’s got the lowest pesticide load of 45 fruits and vegetables tested by the Environmental Working Group. Also in the safe-to-eat-conventional group are avocados, sweet corn, and pineapple. In general, fruits and vegetables with impermeable skins are safe to buy conventional, while produce like celery, peaches, apples, and blueberries are better purchased organic.


MYTH #15: Meat is bad for you
Pork, beef, and lamb are among the world’s best sources of complete protein, and a Danish study found that dieting with 25 percent of calories from protein can help you lose twice as much weight as dieting with 12 percent protein. Then there’s vitamin B12, which is prevalent only in animal-based foods. B12 is essential to your body’s ability to decode DNA and build red blood cells, and British researchers found that adequate intakes protect against age-related brain shrinkage. Now, if you’re worried that meat will increase your risk for heart disease, don’t be. A Harvard review last year looked at 20 studies and found that meat’s link to heart disease exists only with processed meats like bacon, sausage, and deli cuts. Unprocessed meats, those that hadn’t been smoked, cured, or chemically preserved, presented absolutely zero risk.


In response to Myth #15, I wouldn't say that meat is necessarily "bad for you", though most of it started to make me physically ill until I eliminated it from my diet. I wanted to make sure that I had made the right decision, though, so I had some blood work done to find out. My doctor was pleasantly surprises by how healthy I am, so I certainly made the right decision for myself! Being a vegetarian, pescetarian or vegan doesn't work for everyone, but if you do eat meat, don't overdo it. 


In spite of what Mommy and Daddy told you, there are plenty of other ways to get your protein and vitamins besides meat! This article states that Vitamin B12 is "prevalent only in animal-based products", and that is not true. The vitamin is made by bacteria and sources from bacteria cultures, not animal products! Though some companies add gelatin to their B12 supplements, it is easy to find ones without it. 


Foods such as fortified cereals, meat substitutes, or nutritional yeast found in molasses are other meat-free sources of B12 if you prefer to avoid taking supplements. B12 (also called cobalamin) is a water-soluble vitamin with a very low recommended daily intake requirement, you only need about 2-3 micrograms per day. Vitamin B12 is stored in the liver, kidneys, and muscle tissue with about 75% reabsorbed by the body instead of excreted. 


Amidst rumors that vegans and vegetarians don't get enough B12, an actual deficiency can take from five to twenty years of inadequate intake to actually develop, whether the individual is a meat-eater or not. A B12 deficiency causes nerve damage and a serious form of anemia where red blood cells are improperly formed and the white blood cell count is low. 


The proper intake of B12 manufactures DNA, forms red blood cells and fatty insulation surrounding nerve cells, detoxes cyanide (cigarettes and food), prevents cancer, prevents of PMS, improves sperm production, and so on. Take your vitamins!

BE KIND!

Unless you have the time and items to make your own nutritious energy bars, I highly recommend Kind Bars, they aren't loaded with all of the carbs, fat and sugar like the others and come in delicious flavors! You can find them at most stores, so enjoy! http://kindsnacks.com


A lingerie masquerade party sounds fabulous!


EAT WELL TO LOOK WELL

BE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR OWN SKIN

Ladies: Most of us have a shy side, but it is important to do things that encourage us to open up and be more comfortable in our own skin. You ought to feel good about yourself when you're alone and raise your standards, because only someone who deserves your sexiness can have you!



RANDOM WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT















A VEGETARIAN DIET MAY LOWER YOUR RISK FOR DIVERTICULITIS

Diverticulitis is more common than you'd expect, and what you think is just a parasite from bad sushi could in fact be your first flare-up, so pay attention to your body and see a doctor as soon as you notice anything unusual. I'm very familiar with this disease, it can kill you if not treated properly with the removal of part of the intestine - yikes!



Vegetarian Diet May Lower Risk for Diverticular Disease

Laurie Barclay, MD
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July 20, 2011 — Following a vegetarian diet and having a high intake of dietary fiber are associated with a lower risk for diverticular disease, according to the results of a prospective cohort study reported online July 19 in the BMJ.
"Diverticular disease has been termed a 'disease of western civilization' because of its high prevalence in countries like the United Kingdom and United States compared with certain parts of Africa," write Francesca L. Crowe, nutritional epidemiologist at the Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, and colleagues. "We examined the associations of vegetarianism and the intake of dietary fibre (defined as non-starch polysaccharides) with the risk of diverticular disease using information from hospital admission data and death certificates for England and Scotland in men and women taking part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Oxford cohort."
The study cohort consisted of 47,033 men and women living in England or Scotland and enrolled in EPIC-Oxford, a cohort of predominantly health-conscious participants recruited throughout the United Kingdom. Of these, 15,459 (33%) reported consuming a vegetarian diet at baseline. A 130-item, validated food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate dietary fiber intake.
Linkage with hospital records and death certificates allowed identification of cases of diverticular disease. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models allowed estimation of hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk for diverticular disease by diet group and quintiles of dietary fiber intake.
Of 812 cases of diverticular disease identified during follow-up (mean duration, 11.6 years), 806 were hospital admissions and 6 were deaths. Compared with meat eaters, vegetarians had a 31% lower risk for diverticular disease, after adjustment for confounding variables including smoking, alcohol use, and body mass index (relative risk, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.55 - 0.86). Meat eaters between the ages of 50 and 70 years had a 4.4% cumulative probability of hospitalization or death from diverticular disease vs 3.0% for vegetarians.
The risk for diverticular disease was also inversely associated with dietary fiber intake. Compared with participants in the lowest quintile of dietary fiber intake (< 14 g/day for both women and men), those in the highest quintile (≥ 25.5 g/day for women and ≥ 26.1 g/day for men) had a 41% lower risk for diverticular disease (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.46 - 0.78; P < .001 trend).
Vegetarian diet and higher fiber intake were each significantly associated with a lower risk for diverticular disease, after mutual adjustment.
"Consuming a vegetarian diet and a high intake of dietary fibre were both associated with a lower risk of admission to hospital or death from diverticular disease," the study authors write.
Limitations of this study include unmeasured confounding, possible lack of generalizability, the possibility that vegetarians would undergo fewer tests and/or that meat eaters would have more gastrointestinal tract symptoms resulting in a diagnosis of diverticular disease, and undetermined validity of a diagnosis of diverticular disease from hospital records.
In an accompanying editorial, David J. Humes and Joe West, from Nottingham University Hospital, in Nottingham, United Kingdom, note that the findings must be interpreted in the light of these limitations.
"At a population level, if the available absolute risks are converted into a number needed to treat, about 71 meat eaters would have to become vegetarians to prevent one diagnosis of diverticular disease as measured in this study," Drs. Humes and West write. "...Overall the opportunity for preventing the occurrence of diverticular disease and other conditions, such as colorectal cancer, probably lies in the modification of diet, at either a population or an individual level. However, far more evidence is needed before dietary recommendations can be made to the general public."
Cancer Research UK funded the EPIC study. One of the study authors reports being a member of the Vegan Society. Drs. Humes and West have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.