I love a perfectly grilled salmon fillet. Not only is it appealing to the taste buds, it’s super healthy as well. Fish is high in Omega-3 fatty acids – essential for our bodies, but not found in many foods. So including fish oil in our diets is important. To get adequate levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, we would need to eat a lot of fish. And since we’ve all heard that there are concerns of rising mercury levels in our water supply, and therefore our fish, including a daily fish oil supplement is the way to go.

The benefits of fish oil are numerous. Softer skin and hair are changes you can see, but what’s going on inside the body is where the true benefits lie. Evidence shows that taking a fish oil supplement can be helpful for:

– Lowering blood pressure

– Lower triglyceride levels

– Prevent heart disease

– Decrease risk of stroke

– Eye health, including improving both dry eyes and macular degeneration

– Lowering high blood pressure

– Menstrual pain

– Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorger

– Kidney problems

– Weight loss

– Asthma

– lowering high cholesterol

– Depression

Thats quite a list, isn’t it? With so many potential benefits, you can see why just about everyone can benefit from taking a fish oil supplement. Check the label for specific dosing information; but studies are based on an average of 4 grams of fish oil per day.

Make sure the fish oil product you choose is from a reputable source. The finest fish oil supplements use purified oil from small fish, which have been shown to absorb less environmental toxins.

When your body is functioning at optimal levels, you can’t help but be in a better mood. Try adding fish oil to your routine for a month, i’m willing to bet you’ll find yourself happier and healthier.

This is another in my series of blogs for Gardenoflife.com.  You can find them here. Let me know how you are finding the benefits of fish oil.

Did you catch the Stand Up to Cancer Telethon this year?  The brightest stars in the entertainment industry gathered for a commercial free hour this month to raise money for cancer research.  I’d love to see an end to cancer – wouldn’t you?  In looking at the shows website, they are quite transparent as to where the raised funds go.  Funds raised go to cancer treatment research. That means drugs.  That means accepting the fact that the gut wrenching statistic of one in 3 americans having cancer at some point in their lifetime is inevitable.

But can’t we do better?  Why not fund cancer prevention research and information programs?

Much is already known on how cancer happens.  in our bodies, cells are constantly dividing and forming new cells.  Sometimes the new cells formed are not normal.  In fact, this happens quite often.  Our bodies are designed to take care of these cells and eliminate them.  Right now, you have abnormal cells that are being created and eliminated before they multiply out of control. Out of control abnormal cells form tumors, and hit sis when the diagnosis of Cancer comes in.

But if our bodies have the capability to destroy these cells before they become multiply, why is cancer so prevalent in our society?  Well, things we do affect both the number of abnormal cells we have, and our bodies ability to successfully deal with them.

Yes, thats right, our behavior can affect whether or not we will some day be diagnosed with cancer.  There are things we can avoid doing, as well as things we can add to our life that have a tremendous impact on our future health.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was more research being done in this area? Instead of spending so much time, energy and funds on figuring out how to treat this disease, if instead we put those resources into communicating what we already know about how best to avoid getting cancer?  And into research on even more ways to to prevent it?

Known causes of cancer include smoking, environmental toxins, poor diet and carrying excess fat.  Research shows that living a healthier lifestyle makes it  much more likely you will avoid a cancer diagnosis.

So what can you do?

1. Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, 5-10 servings per day.

2. Make sure you are getting an adequate amount of Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet – found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines

3. Drink Green Tea

4. Avoid fried foods

5. Don’t smoke, avoid being around secondhand smoke.

6. Get a moderate amount of sunlight.  Vitamin D in sunlight is beneficial, but too much sun can cause skin cancers

7. Engage in some form of physical activity each day.

8. Work towards eliminating excess body fat.

9. Believe in your bodies ability to be healthy.

It’s reported that 70% of cancers diagnosed today are preventable.  Preventable through making the right choices, by both adding and eliminating things from our diet.**  By avoiding contact with unnecessary chemicals.  If we already know so much, why is cancer still so prevalent? Lets start raising awareness and taking steps to help people make the changes that matter. And lets start funding more research,so we can increase the knowledge and the number of preventable cancers.  Its a matter of life and death – who’s with me?

**For a more detailed list of how foods can help prevent cancer, take a look at this website – Foods that fight Cancer – http://www.aicr.org/foods-that-fight-cancer/

Why does sugar get such a bad rap? A Tbsp of sugar has 45 calories. About the same as a quarter cup of oatmeal. Both are classified as carbohydrates and will give you energy. So, instead of a cup of oatmeal this morning, why not have 4 tbsps of sugar?

If you choose those 4 tbsps of sugar, will you crave more once you’ve finished?

If so, you’re not alone. Sugar can be addictive. It can work the same way on your brain as alcohol or drugs. It can stimulate dopamine production. It can make you feel goooood. And when your brain gets that message, it demands more.

You may not even realize this is what’s happening. We all know cake, cookie, cant contain mega amounts of sugar; but sugar can be hidden in many unexpected places, and food labels can be misleading – sugar goes by so many different names: High- fructose corn syrup, Dextrose, Glucose, Lactose, Sucrose, Evaporated can juice, Malt syrup – these are just a few. There’s a good chance you are consuming sugar without even knowing it!

Once you’ve gotten in the habit of eating sugary foods, it can be difficult to stop. Do you eat sugar every day? Can you have sugary treats in the house without eating them? Do you choose donuts or muffins for breakfast? Can you stop eating after one piece of candy? Do you eat something sweet after every meal? do you find your self eating sugar when you are not hungry ad being unable to stop?

If the above sound familiar, this may be a sign that you have a sugar addiction. Chemical changes in your brain can be driving you to seek out sugar even if you have vowed to resist.

Taking a break from all sugary foods may be just what you need to break the cycle. While you do, make sure you are eating enough food to physically satisfy you – choose complex carbohydrates, lean protein and lots of veggies. Make sure you are eating enough healthy fats while you are avoiding sugar – Coconut oil, flax seed oil, extra virgin olive oil are all good choices as are raw nuts and seeds. It will most likely be difficult for the first week or so, but once you are out of the habit of eating sugar, it will become easier. Make a goal of 30 days with no added sugar in your diet. Once the 30 days have past, you may realize you feel so great that you want to avoid sugar going forward.

If you do choose to reintroduce sugar in your diet, remember, the tendency to fall back into old ways is strong, as it is driven by a physical addiction. You may find that you can eat moderate amounts of sugar – this can be more likely if you choose to not eat sugar alone, include a protein source along with any sugar consumption, and reintroduce slowly.