Summer Blues?

Well, it's almost summer, can you believe it?
Here in the Southwest, the weather has been crazy windy for what seems like the entire spring season. We live in a canyon, so it is windier than the town that we live outside of, but it has been ridiculous!
I spoke to someone in Texas on Monday and she said it has been really windy there too, so who knows what the summer season will bring?  Today oddly enough it is a bit calmer so I am actually sitting in the sun as I write this, I usually at this point at least have a farmer's tan but due to the wind, I am really behind ;)
As the Summer season approaches and many people focus on what they will look like in a swimsuit, my thoughts wander to why this is done? Are we all that concerned about what others will think about how we will look from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and if so, why aren't we more conscious about what we do all year long?
Memorial Day has long been the official kick-off to the summer with watermelons and barbeques, food on the grill and longer hours enjoyed outside, although it is a national holiday and it is marked on every calendar, some people act like it snuck up on them and then they start frantically trying to  diet or starve themselves for that bathing suit they should have gotten just a bit larger.
Why?
Because that is what society seems to put an emphasis on, the outside, not the inside that actually controlls the outside, peculiar I think!
You know from previous posts that I think food is at the core of everything we do as it nourishes us. Think of yourself as an incredibly expensive auto, do you go to the gas station and put regular cheap gas in the tank that may or may not get you down the road, or do you put in premium for the best performance? We need to make those efforts in the way we take care of ourselves and that starts with the food we choose to eat.
As you know, I believe that most of our diseases and physical problems stem from the low-grade foods we stick in our mouths! Some people are in such a hurry they don't have time to eat properly, or some don't want to or even know how to cook. I hear you and I understand what you are saying.
Cooking can be a chore, I understand, do you have a day that you could grill several servings of meat for instance and put it in containers in the refrigerator or freezer for the upcoming week? I freeze leftover meat and pull it out and reheat it with some fresh veggies for a quick meal when I get stuck sometimes. If you really have no time but money, I have seen several items in places like Trader Joes and a store called Sprouts in Arizona that has organic prepackaged things that take little to no time to get on the table.
Organic or at the very least Non-GMO foods will be less harmful to your system. Non-GMO foods are readily available at most stores and you will be healthier for it.
When I was younger we didn't have Organic or Non-GMO products because things were processed much differently than they are today. I had a great metobolizim and could and did eat everything and if it was sweet all the better!  I was a self-described "Sugar Face" I ate it all the time, I even had candy while cooking dinner and now at some point, I may have to pay for it. Here is something that I learned about six years ago, while in school to become a Board Certified Health Coach, that I am really wondering about now, and how it will affect me.
 Cholesterol increases in women after menopause.
Alright men, before you shriek in disgust and leave this blog, remember you may have a mother, grandmother, sister, niece, wife or even daughter who could be affected by this at some point.

Men's risks stay pretty much the same all throughout their lives, yet women are very different.
First off Menopause is described as not having a period for 12 months. Sometimes this time frame is achieved and then the darn thing shows up AGAIN, if that happens the 12-month time frame starts over, BUMMER RIGHT! 

  Many women have menopause completed by their forties or even earlier (and some of us who have been told are "Incredibly Healthy" by our doctors still have not achieved this) At that point it is unclear, but some studies have shown a correlation between estrogen levels dropping and cholesterol levels increasing. 

There is also a thing called Metabolic Syndrome which is a set of symptoms like lipid profiles being out of control, high blood pressure, obesity, abnormal glucose readings.
Wonder why I went down this road? As most of you know from one of my last posts, my husband Wayne had a heart attack. He had two stents put in through his wrist and has been given the all clear by the doctors. The doctors said that this was a hereditary situation and that nothing could have been done. *Cholesterol is in your body and the bad or sticky type starts to build in your early twenties. The fluffy cholesterol is the type that passes through your body with no problem. Do you know what feeds the sticky cholesterol? SUGAR! BREAD, RICE, PASTA,  CEREAL, COOKIES, CANDY, ANY BAKED GOODS WITH FLOUR, IF IT IS PROCESSED IT IS IN IT!!
We are eating fast fun food and in the end not only causing ourselves to not have the summer bodies we want to have but in the long term, we are actually hurting our hearts!
 In Closing, Let's be kind to ourselves and others about the whole summer body thing if you need to go a size up do it, no one ever comes up to you and asks what size your suit is, find one that fits and enjoy your summer. Second and more importantly start making better choices for your body and heart if you need too. I am not the food police and I am not about to tell you what to eat, it's your body and your choice, remember though what you put in your mouth may come out in ways you don't want it to later on.
Have a Great June,
~Toni~

I get asked almost weekly how it is that I am a baker and not overweight? Short story: I don't eat sugary foods all the time, even though I test everything I bake for quality control, I have things as an occasional treat. Long Story: I work my butt off! Shop for the best we can afford, prepare it, eat it, sleep, drink lots of water, exercise, etc.

        

Don't Let Others Define Who You Are By Their Bad Behavior!

Today I want to talk about perception.
What someone else thinks of you and what is really the truth.
I was recently caught up in a ridiculous situation where someone had made a comment on a social media platform and I had made a comment to try and encourage them. Harmless, yet others jumped in and twisted, turned, and started assuming what they wanted.
Now here is the thing, although I believed it to be a statement to encourage, others saw it differently. Am I to be blamed for that?
Well, the way I see it yes, and no. I could have not said anything or private messaged this person and it would have been between us, yet I felt free enough to simply put it out there for others to see, that was my mistake. Now people are talking all kinds of mad crap and I can't stop that. What I can do is remember who I am, what I intended, and that I can't control what others say about me.
I can control who I am, and with whom I choose to spend time with however, and that brings me to the more important part of today's blog.

6/22/85

When I was in my early twenties I was a busy young mom and stepmom. All I could do was try and survive the day, fall into bed and do it again. I found that going to church was a refuge I could get some amazing counsel from.
Now there were two older women who stick out in my mind; Dorothy, I never really spoke to her but the way she kept herself and the way she moved was pure beauty. Quiet and sophisticated is the way I saw her, and in this small town that was something that wasn't seen often, she was just lovely.
Then their was Bonnie.
Bonnie was in my opinion, the most incredible woman I had ever seen.
She was the women's leader and WHAT a woman!
She invested in each and every one of us. She would take the time to talk to you and you felt as though she really cared, truly a virtuous woman who still attended to her husband and family.

For me I needed that mother figure who could teach me how to juggle the struggles of all that I had allowed on my plate, which were many. I had taken my already full plate and had now volunteered for way too many things at the church. People would actually say "Call Toni she will do it."

I remember one particularly difficult time when I had simply stretched myself to thin where Bonnie came and sat down beside me. She said "Toni, have you ever watched a flock of geese? They fly in the shape of a "V". They fly that way so that the leader breaks the air-flow for all the others. They fly that way so there is less resistance, but eventually the leader gets tired and then that goose drops back to the back of the flock and another takes the lead."
I got it, she took that and made it a perfect example for me to understand that I didn't have to do it all. There were others at the church that could take over some, or all of my duties, so I could focus more on my own family and their needs, which had dropped in it's priority.

Why am I telling you all this, it is simple really, there is a scripture in the Bible that paraphrased says
"The older women should be examples of the good life, so the the younger women may learn to love their husbands and their children, to be sensible, and chaste, home-lovers, kind-hearted and willing to adapt themselves to their husbands-- a good advertisement for the Christian faith."
Don't get me wrong, I am totally for girl power, we can get the job done when it needs to be done. Women can kick butt and take names! I started a business!

We should be strong mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally.
"We can bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan"(as the old commercial use to say) if we need too, or we can be an incredible support system for our partners who do that.
 I  also believe that we can do it in such a manner to not have people speak ill about us.

Some unhappy people who are not taking care of their own business can be real gossips, destroying others in a moment with their jealousy and lies. Social media has become a breeding ground for this in my opinion. I also believe that social media is a huge time waster. I love kittens and puppies as much as the next person and checking in on old friends, but after that, most of the time spent is on needless and senseless things that I really have little time for, that is where the trouble can begin. I need to focus on the more important things in life, the priorities.  

Sometimes people can see us say or do something that they perceive one way or another that may be wrong. When I was young I could have looked like I was crazy busy, or just crazy, a superwoman, or an unhinged individual. Perception is a tricky thing. Dancing as fast as I could and trying to learn while holding it all together.

Now that I have moved from the young woman, to the older woman, I want to be like Bonnie.
A person who is there for others, but still someone that others can look up too. Approachable without them having to fear I am one of the many who will gossip about them as soon as they are out of ear shot. Someone who is worthy of their time, that I am genuinely interested in what they are going through, and will listen with an open heart.  Someone who minds my own business, is not judgmental, and who has my priorities straight by placing God, Husband and Family first... A virtuous woman.

Virtuous in Wikipedia is defined as:
Virtue (Latin: virtus, Ancient Greek: ἀρετή "arete") is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting collective and individual greatness. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standards. Doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong. The opposite of virtue is vice. 

The four classic cardinal virtues in Christianity are temperance, prudence, courage, and justice. Christianity derives the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love (charity) from 1 Corinthians. Together these make up the seven virtues. Buddhism's four brahmavihara ("Divine States") can be regarded as virtues in the European sense. The Japanese Bushidōcode is characterized by up to ten virtues, including rectitude, courage, and benevolence.

I am a big believer in energy. What you send out is what you attract, garbage in garbage out, what goes around comes around, and so on. If we choose to go around and talk about others then we are just like everyone else. Social media, the phone, an email etc. we have become nothing but gossips and people others will love to talk to, and also about, when you are not there.  If we choose to stick to our own business, which is very time consuming and rewarding, then we will attract others with the same frame of mind. People who do not have the time to talk about others because they are busy with their own lives. 

It is your choice, may I suggest we all find a Bonnie, and follow a great lead in how to handle what we have before us? If you choose to be on social media remember, that anything you say can and quite possibly will be held against you, so choose what you do wisely. 

May this be a blessing to all those who read it, ~ Don't Forget To Sparkle~

Toni

Trying to Sparkle Through the Pain

2019 started out kind of crappy for our family. Our beloved little love bug Beans, our grand-kitty crossed the rainbow bridge to Heaven. Unexpected and heart wrenching, we were devastated as we hospiced him for only a few days before he passed. We had Beans for about 11-12 years, our son had him for about 4-6 years 

before we got him.Beans was a dog or a person more than he was an ordinary house cat. He talked all the time. He would tell us when to go to bed, and if you didn't, Wow! He would meow and meow and meow until you did. He would sleep in-between us always touching my husband Wayne and me at all times. He would wake us up, follow us to the shower, scratch on the door if you were in there too long and tell us when to feed he and our other cat. He could open doors, close them when he was told to do so, and come to you on hand signals. He was an amazing friend and confidant. He always wanted to be with you, touching you or right in the middle of what you were doing at all times. As the pictures depict, from greeting you, to napping, wrapping presents,

putting up the Christmas decorations, hugging Wayne while he was getting loved on,  watching my yoga video, or even fighting for my yoga mat while I was still on it, he was our one of a kind. Our hearts were completely shattered. Who knew how his loss would impact us.

Two and a half weeks later my husband Wayne, pictured here with Beans, was getting ready for bed and didn't feel well. Long story short, he had a mild heart attack. You don't have time to react, you can only respond with bare, raw instinct. Wayne didn't want surgery at the first hospital, he said he had no confidence in them and it was his life. So against doctors orders we got in our truck and I drove him about an hour a half away, to a bigger hospital in Tucson. 

I was numb, this is where survival mode kicked in on my part, to just get us there safely and without any more complications.  He had surgery the following morning, Thursday, he was discharged on Friday, and went back to work, light duty on Monday.

I am trying not to be a helicopter wife, but the thought of the potential loss of Wayne was painful and  is terrifying. 

I am trying to be strong, I have been told I need to care for myself or I can't take good care of Wayne, so I am hoping that this blog entry will help with all the hidden emotions I have and can't really show.  

I am so grateful that I have a faith that was never shaken. I do not question, I only praise Him for who I believe has allowed me to have all that I have. Strength comes from within, I had to call upon that and many of my praying friends to help me through this.  These things separately would have been enough, but together is, well, a lot. I will continue to be strong and eventually this will sting less.

This has been needless to say, a tough few weeks and my sparkle is a bit dull. 

I am simply trying to breathe and remember how blessed that I am to have had this life and the amazing people (Beans and Wayne) in it. The privilege of being able to share their lives has been quit the journey of fun and love.

This blog this week is to say: We will face tragedy. It is absolutely fine to feel loss, pain, confusion and sorrow.

 Don't let people get to you that will say things like "It was just a cat" or "He went back to work he is fine" time does march on but there is an aftermath of grief and left over pain, feelings that may need to be released, and you CAN take the time to do that. 

I find time for me on the elliptical machine and weights help me burn up the extra energy I seem to have. I have had an extremely hard time getting back on the yoga mat as I can see, feel, and smell Beans there, it was our thing to do, so I have some emotional work to do with that. 

I am not really talking much to others about these things, because I don't have the energy to repeat the stories over and over. I will... just not right now. I am taking large amounts of CBD Oil to help with the extra anxiety I feel even after the fact. 

TRUTHFULLY,  I'M STILL REELING FROM ALL OF THIS!

 I am still listening to Wayne breathe every night and worrying when he is at work, but I will learn to manage this as time goes by, it's only been six days to this point. I hope that this can help someone else out there, that may be going through a loss, person or animal, and you just needed someone  to say "ITS OKAY TO GRIEVE" any loss is still a loss. Take care of yourself, and know there are others that understand, you will get through the sting and then you can focus on the joy you had when you got to be with them. 

I hope you have a wonderful day, and Thank You For Listening.
 REMEMBER TO BREATHE!
~Toni~

New Name, Same Me

Hi I'm Toni and I welcome you to my new blog which is simply my old blog "It's all about Great Food and Cool Shoes" with an updated name. I did this because I felt I was in a box. You know when you have tons to say yet it just doesn't fit into the box that either you or someone else has made? Well, this is me (pictured above while on our vacation 3 weeks ago with my awesome humidity driven hair) tearing that box apart and starting over! (I even got a shorter hair cut when we got back, it's too freaking hot here for longer hair to just refresh and BREATHE!) I LOVE the new name of the blog because it will allow me to go places my old name didn't fit with, and we can just learn to grow together. I have learned so much since becoming a Health Coach about myself. I'm not going to preach to you, or try to get you to buy anything. I simply have so much rolling around in my head I need to write it down and share it with whom ever comes across it and may want to listen.

I am 55 years young, I was asked how old I was a few years back and 27 popped out of my mouth, which was hysterical because my 30 year old son was standing next to me. We both looked at each other and burst into laughter! 

The point is that is how old I feel. I look and feel better than I ever have before and some people just can't seem to handle it. 

I get dirty looks at the supermarket, I'm not kidding, I just go shopping and get dirty looks because I keep my appearance up I guess. But I have gone from being offended to just thinking, huh, they must be having a bad day, that sucks.

A lot of my thought transformation goes to the fact that my son dragged me to a yoga class with him, I have been hooked on it ever since. 

I have learned that rather than wanting to punch someone in the throat, I can Breathe, be Grateful to the Creator of the Universe, and through me loving Him, I have changed my thoughts, I can set intentions for my day, which has led me to Sparkle from the inside out. 

I know that when the wheels start to come off the bus (I get pissed) that I need to get back on the mat so to speak, get centered and, you guessed it... Breathe. I'm not perfect. I am trying to be less judgmental and work on me,  not worrying about things that are not in my control which is an absolute 180* turn around for me. I believe most people can relate to this.

Well,  that is my new introduction, I hope you like it, and can come along for the ride. 

I will be writing frequently so come by again soon. Until then you can check out my instagram at : healthcoachingmyway Toni Cummings

Here is a picture of me now :)

Is This REALLY Good For Me, Investigate for Yourself!

Today I have found myself in a fairly unique situation in that I have over baked for my 
business so I have decided to take today and tomorrow off. 

I have been wanting to write a blog for a while and have started many times, but 
today is the day. As I thought about what I wanted to say I keep coming ask to the 
one thought that we live in a country that still affords us some choices in our lives 
and that we are still responsible for making good choices for ourselves and our 
families, if that still applies. I find as I have gotten older I have made many choices 
that I may not have made if I had more information while in my youth.

The kids are grown and I see them making decisions without any input from me, as 

it should be, good or bad, they will live with the outcome as I did.

The only choices I see now are that of my husband and I, our health being the primary 
one, if you don't have your health, everything would become more difficult in my eyes.

As a board Certified Health Coach, I see many friends with Cancer, Fibromyalgia, 
Diabetes, weight issue or simple aches and pains that are keeping them from living 
their lives more fully, yet I have learned that people just don't want to hear it.

I am not a huge fan of Western Medicine, yet in some cases I do believe it has its place.

With our country allowing all the chemicals that the Big Pharma and Monsanto as well
as others being called safe how can we not be overcome by disease and death? 
Republican, Democrat, whatever your party affiliation may be there it doesn't really 
matter, the popular vote in my opinion doesn't mean much as the delegates seem 
to decide who THEY want and too bad for the rest of us.

So what can we do? Well, In my opinion, we need to take our health into our own hands.
We need to be proactive and start to read our labels, do some research on what we 
think would be a good choice for our lives and diets before we take steps to change it.

I’m not saying that if you are diagnosed with Cancer to turn your back on your doctor, 
although I have heard of a few people who did just a hat, started juicing organic 
veggies and are now cancer free, yet I have been told by at least one cancer 
patients their doctor told them not to change or diet. WHY? 
I have always had more questions than answers, but if I am on chemo, 
that is suppose to be bullet proof, why can't I change my eating habits?

* I believe that most everything that we have been diagnosed with is directly 
attributed to what we eat *

Can you reverse what you have, there is research to back up that you possibly can,
but you are told, oh just take this pill and you will be fine.

I'm sorry what is in that pill? Would your doctor or political representative take it?

Remember when Bill Clinton nearly died and then he stopped eating fast food, 
switched to a vegan diet and he is still here! If I remember correctly his doctor 
suggested this to him, yet the outcome was because of a conscious effort made 
on the patient’s efforts and restraints of what he chose to put in his mouth.

His wife was paid 35k to speak at a Monsanto function per Yahoo News, 
but whatever.

I had a gentleman come up to me just last week at the farmers market who 
asked if I had dairy free items, I said “Only Peanut Butter Cookies”, he turned 
and walked away only to return and try to scold me because I didn’t have enough
dairy free items for sale. He went on to tell me 
that instead of using butter that I could switch to one of the many oils on the market
and then  my baked goods would be dairy free.

I explained to him that I am a Gluten Free Baker,  and that I actually just made the 
decision to switch from oil to butter because there is so much crap like Trans-Fats 
and other things in said oils that I do not want to pass along to my customers. 
I swear I saw fire in his eyes, yet he said thank you and left.

I am not a vegan baker. 
I also believe that the more natural foods are the best, 
the closest to the real thing without all the processing is the best. 
Butter is pretty close to the cow.

Several days after rethinking this conversation I had with him, it dawned on me 
how odd it was for a man to leave my table, walk two tables away and then return 
to complain, almost like many women I know that just can’t let it go, me included, 
(LOL) (it takes one to know one) it dawned on me that he was probably lactose 
intolerant and was supplementing his dairy needs with soy.

BOOM! There it was! Lots of people have bought into believing that soy is a 
great supplement, but is it a good one for you? 
Are you alright with the possible GMO soy or how it may effect you now
and in the long run??

Soy has phytoestrogens, that can cause a myriad of problems including estrogen 
problems for men.
check out this article from Men’s Health: 
https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/soys-negative-effects

Bottomline is this in my opinion:

You must be proactive for YOUR health, if you want to go with western medicine 
and trust your doctor, that is fine but it wouldn’t hurt to start educating yourself
on what they are suggesting that you put into your body and why.

We had a conventional western medicine doctor on OUR LAST VISIT to him
who said to me 
“Look it up and do some investigating of your own on this medication”, 
~ That is just what I did…

Wishing You Good Health,

Toni

Starting a Business, Traveling, and Eating Gluten Free

Well Hi Everyone!

It's been a while since last I posted,  I thought I'd catch you all up as I sit in the back seat of one of my husband's oldest and dearest friend's car listening to them chat about everything under the sun, on our way back from meeting up in Reno Nevada. 

May 1st, My son and I started a baking business C & C Baking (We are on Face Book, C&C Baking) which has been interesting  with my husband being the venture capitalist. We have our Lemon Bars, English Toffee Bars (see picture below)  and other goodies in a coffee shop in the mall near where we live, and our breads like Rustic Italian, Herb & Garlic, Sesame etc. along with Gluten Free Goodies at a local Food Co-Op which is really exciting for us.

In June my husband and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. We decided to rent a cabin in the woods for a week. We decided to go to South Dakota. It had been raining before we got there for about 3 weeks we were told which left everything green and lush. We traveled to Mount Rushmore for the first time and saw the Badlands, simply beautiful! 

The trip we are returning from now was one to see family in Northern California. 

Traveling is always an interesting adventure in searching for foods without wheat. Now again we are not Gluten Intolerant nor do we have Celiac Disease, we CHOOSE to eat this way and as we have reaped the many benefits like no longer having joint pain, being bloated, better sleep, etc. we see no reason to add it back into our diets. 

I found that while actually on the road traveling, we ate a LOT of Tacos on corn tortillas. Fortunately we really like them and with the extra bonus of vegetables they worked well. When we were served Mahi Tacos at Joe's Crab Shack which we didn't realize we're served on flour tortillas, we simply ate the filling with a few corn chips, no big deal. 

Many people trip up on Gluten Free I think, because we over think the process. 

No  wheat flour generally freaks people out, but there are other kinds of flour on the market that can be used to bake things like breads, crackers, english muffins etc., just remember that Gluten Free products are not "Health Food" most still have sugar and sugar is what makes people fat! 

If you stick more towards a bit of protein whether it be from plants or animals, fruits and vegetables you should be fine. 

While traveling we look for  a cleaner simpler  menu item. Oftentimes restaurants may not have Gluten Free items but they make substitutions which works well if cross contamination is not an issue for you.  (Pictured: Breakfast at the Palazzo, Las Vegas, the wheat toast was substituted with fruit)

 When you start seeing  gravies, breaded or battered foods, or even toast for breakfast, you have to remember that these have wheat flour in them, and that flour is in almost everything processed as either a thickener or a filler.  

I guess we have become foodies. 

We enjoy food and the preparation of it, but while traveling we really have to be aware and ask questions. 

I have an App I downloaded called "Find Me Gluten Free" (GF) and it can pull up several different restaurants in any area we may travel to and it lists the name, how far they are from where I am, directions, and reviews from other people with Gluten issues. I love the reviews feature as it has really helped us find food that we know we can eat. The reviews are also good to find out by others how they reacted to the food and if the kitchen is a dedicated GF kitchen which is imperative to people with Celiac. 

People are becoming more aware of Gluten and its effects on the body, as the information continues to become more commonplace should allow more choices available while traveling. 

I still like to cook at home and know my ingredients, yet it is nice to know our traveling doesn't always mean a steady diet of tacos, which strangely enough is what the guys decided we were having for lunch while I was writing this blog...

Until next time I would like to share one of David Wolfe's sayings in that I wish you the Best Day Ever!

Cholesterol Tests You Don't Know About, That Could Save Your Life

In 1979, when I was only 16, my dad passed away from undiagnosed arteriosclerosis. Cholesterol testing was not the norm back then and death was often the first sign that you had any blockage whatsoever. He smoked, loved peanut butter on his sandwich and did very little in the way of exercise (it wasn't promoted in the way that it is these days).

In the last thirty years, things have changed so much that few people I know don't know what cholesterol is, or haven't been tested to know what their numbers are, yet we have still got people with heart disease and it is a growing concern even with today's youth.

We are in need of good testing, dietary changes, and doctors who actually care.

My husband, Wayne who is tested regularly, has been told for the last six years by our G.P. that he needs to go on a blood pressure medication, and cholesterol lowering drug, a statin because Wayne had a 242 cholesterol number and basically he was going to have a heart attack, or a stroke if he didn't.

The doctor has also stated that he does not have to exercise.

He is busy at work, so no need for it,  just take the pills and all will be better. (This makes me crazy by the way, as I am always trying to get Wayne to go for walks, bike rides, or whatever will get him moving.)

Prescription medications are not something Wayne wants to take, so I decided to do some research on what else can be done. My dad never had an option.

The first thing I looked at was dietary, my husband likes meat, he was a meat and potatoes guy and assured me that wasn't going to change. If I couldn't take it out, what could be added into the diet to make a difference?

I have made his breakfast, lunch, dinner and packed the snacks for him for thirty years, I was fairly confident that I could add things in.

Juicing! I was able to find several recipes that said they helped with blood pressure so what the heck?

We bought a juicer, beets, celery, carrots and apples. The flavor was something that was a bit different, but my husband was willing to drink it, if it meant no meds. I am pleased to say that for him, the juicing does the trick and his blood pressure has dropped to acceptable numbers where he doesn't need to use the medication. We have expanded our variety of vegetables that we juice, kale is a big favorite around here, and juicing has become so important to our daily routine for both of us that we even purchased a smaller juicer that we take when we travel.  

As a side note, the G.P. was not happy about Wayne not taking the medication any longer.

Now for the cholesterol.  

We were challenged to "Go home and research it" by the G.P.

What I found was that there were two different kinds of the "Bad Cholesterol ". For simpler terms the skinny sticky and the fat and fluffy. Basically the fat and fluffy are not great but basically bounce around your bloodstream and are flushed out of your system. The skinny and sticky are the bad lipids that lay down like grout and stick to the arteries causing plaque buildup. The skinny and sticky can cause blockage as well as often times break off and go to your arteries causing strokes or complete blood blockage. I also found a few tests, such as the C-Reactive Protein Test that can check to see if there is cardio vascular inflammation around your heart or if there could be plaque buildup in your arteries, The NMR LipoProfile cholesterol particle size test, and the EndoPat non invasive test which evaluates blood vessel health.

I also found that most doctors won’t order these tests and the tests may or not be covered by insurance.

In order to get these tests done we scheduled an appointment with Dr. J. a  Naturopath.

After evaluating a food log and lifestyle report, along with the blood tests, she said "You need to exercise". FINALLY, someone who had the patient's best interest at heart!

• This is key, With Wayne exercising, or moving as he likes to call it, more fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds added to the diet, no grains, wheat, or flour products, and less meat ( grass fed organic only) we are seeing a change.**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

There are supplements like Red Rice Yeast that Wayne must take which is actually the original natural plant form of what statins are made from, yet because they are natural and all plant based he is much happier with this decision.

Weight loss, better sleep, and more activity have all been great side effects of this lifestyle change as well.

Wayne has blood tests scheduled this week to see where we are at, but everything indicates we are moving in the right direction.

My dad didn't get the chance that Wayne has been afforded, and I don't know if he had, would it have been something my dad would have been willing to do.

What I do know is food is the cure, what we choose to put in our mouths now, can either nourish us or possibly hurt us later. Our bodies are amazing creations and function optimally when we feed it the best fuel possible which is of course non processed natural beautiful foods. Would you put cheap gas in a Rolls Royce? Why then do we deserve any less than the best?


** This is the original text that was submitted for publication before I rewrote it to become "5 Tips To Combat Heart Disease and Stroke"**