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Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. Understanding the true essence of the disease is crucial to combating it. In the media and in medical offices, hype has been centered on cholesterol levels and the consumption of animal fats, two theories that face much scientific controversy.

Heart disease actually encompasses a number of straight-forward factors that we should focus on:

Excess consumption of vegetable oils and hydrogenated fats (trans-fats).
Excess consumption of refined carbohydrates in the form of sugar and white flour.
Mineral deficiencies, in particular magnesium and iodine.
Deficiencies of vitamins, in particular vitamins A, C and D. These are needed for the integrity of the blood vessel walls.
Deficiencies of antioxidants like selenium and vitamin E which protect us from free radicals.
Disappearance of antimicrobial fats from our food supply, primarily, animal fats and tropical oils (coconut and palm oil). These protect us from us against both viruses and bacteria that have been associated with the onset of pathogenic plaque that can lead to heart disease.
The prevention of heart disease cannot be achieved with the current focus on lowering cholesterol. Despite its bad rap, cholesterol (like good fat) actually plays a vital role in our health and is an essential component for life and a multitude of normal body functions.

A much better approach for prevention includes:

Consuming a diet that provides animal foods (properly raised), rich in protective fats and vitamins B6 and B12.
Bolstering thyroid function through daily use of natural sea salt.
Avoiding vitamin and mineral deficiencies that make the artery walls more prone to ruptures and the build up of plaque. This can be accomplished by including antimicrobial fats in the diet and eliminating processed foods containing refined carbohydrates, oxidized cholesterol and free-radical-containing vegetable oils that cause the body to need constant repair.
Better tests for evaluating heart disease are available and should include:

Triglycerides – Elevated triglycerides in the blood have been linked to heart disease, but these triglycerides do not come directly from dietary fats; they are made in the liver and stem from foods containing unhealthy carbohydrates, particularly refined sugar and white flour.
Lp(a)
Homocysteine – Has been positively correlated with pathological build-up of plaque and the tendency to form clots.
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Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

Jon Benson’s Holiday Survival Pocket Guide

As all of you know, I’m committed to seeing you through this Holiday Season with less body fat and more muscle! You can do this. You do not need to use this time of year as an excuse… in fact, it can be the strongest time of the year for you. Why is that? Well, consider this: if you can actually progress between now and January 1st of next year, just think what you can do in the New Year! Imagine the confidence you would have walking into the brand new year with a better body rather than entering the new year with more fat, less energy, and a “blah” attitude.

Let’s get started with my favorite Holiday Survival Tips…

Low Calories The Day Before
Simply reducing your calories to about half your normal intake the day before a larger meal can work wonders. This way you will balance things out over two days. Just be sure to eat frequently on the low-cal day so you don’t slow down your metabolism.

Low Carbs The Day After
Reduce your carbs to about 50 grams the day after your holiday meal. Yes, that means no leftovers (I’ll get to that in a second.). This will help your insulin levels return to normal, and get your fat-burning kicked off again after the feast. Be sure to get all of your carbs from veggies on this day.

Give Away Your Leftovers
This is a tip I mention every year, and it makes everyone really happy. Instead of making Aunt Edna feel bad about not taking a ton of food home with you, go ahead and accept her hospitality – and then give it away to people without food that very same day. These folks are pretty easy to find if you live in a big city. If not, a few phone calls to half-way houses will be all you’ll need to do in order to really make someone’s holiday very special. This also will save you from the temptation of having a ton of bad food around the house!

Keep Lean Protein High
Be sure to chow on the protein during your holiday meals. Keep the carb foods low to moderate. Spread them out over the day so you don’t eat too much all at once as well.

Drink A Ton Of Water
Drink about a quart of water prior to going to your festivities, and at least that much during and after. This will help flush the toxins through your system, and it will actually make you less hungry.

Keep Desserts To One Serving
Is it REALLY that much to ask? Enjoy a nice dessert after your protein-rich meal, but pass on the seconds. Remember, it’s not the last time you’ll ever eat pie…

Go For A Walk After Eating
Research shows that a 45-minute brisk walk after eating a high-fat meal can reverse the damage done to your arteries. Obviously it will help you feel better as well, and it improves digestion. Use this as a “family time” activity. Suggest a walk around a mall, or perhaps the town centre or neighborhood. Enjoy the time, and get more fit, all at the same time.

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Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

Ladies, admit it. Though we don’t talk about it openly, every one of us wants to look better than our best friend. Not in a malicious, catty way, but in a way that shouts to the world, I’m healthy and I look great! And what woman doesn’t have the desire to be seen as the sexiest thing alive by her romantic partner? With summer just around the corner, promising days of blistering heat – which demand less clothing – there’s no better time to get healthy and look great.

Contrary to what the media would have us believe, looking and feeling great this summer will not come in the form of a diet, a bathing suit that hides trouble spots, or doing sit-ups every night before bed. The main factor in looking and feeling great is the food we put into our bodies.

Unfortunately people don’t realize the extent to which food affects our health and appearance. If you think about it, besides water and oxygen, food is the only other thing available for the creation of vitality, beauty and maintenance of our bodies. Food is to our bodies like gas is to our cars. If you put water into the gas tank of your car, would you expect it to run?? No, because that’s not what it requires. Just the same, you shouldn’t expect your body to run off of something other than what it needs. In other words, don’t put dead, poor quality food into your body’s gas tank!

“Some people have the erroneous belief that if we eat poorly we can offset the damage by taking supplements. They use this as a sort of insurance policy. Unfortunately that’s not how the body works.” Jill Redfern, registered nurse and digestive health specialist, knows how overwhelming and difficult it can be to try and change health and eating habits by oneself. With so much misleading information out on the market, Jill takes care to teach her clients how to incorporate their genuinely specific needs into the routines of daily life.

Jill is the owner of Women’s Health Advantage in Newhall. She bases her practice on the philosophy that women should “never settle for ordinary health”. She stresses that we deserve, for the sake of ourselves and our family, to care for and nurture our bodies – after all, we only get one.

At Women’s Health Advantage clients receive full testing and analysis to determine the stressors unique to their bodies. Jill uses data gathered from a specialized urinalysis, hair, saliva, and bowel testing. Using this information she is able to determine a client’s nutrient ratios, toxicity, and the state of their digestion. Once she’s assessed what is biologically occurring in the client’s body she then creates an individualized approach to transform their health and well-being. Her treatment is unique from others’ because she takes a whole body approach to health rather than simply treating a condition or symptom a person might be suffering from.

Summer is quickly approaching and it’ll be time to put on those shorts before you know it. With Jill’s help you can get healthy, feel great, and look better than your best friend before the temperature hits triple digits!

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Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

First and foremost… Menopause is NOT a Disease!! (Sometimes the medical community seems to treat it that way – and women then look at themselves as though they are abnormal or sick.) We’ve come a long way since the days that women were shunned into dirty shacks to have their monthly cycles! Now it’s time to shed the same light on the cessation of those cycles.

Menopause is normal; and facing your change of life should be a healthy and positive experience. Simply put, menopause is a marker that signals a change in a woman’s biological life. So let’s delve more deeply into how those changes and our lifestyles, can affect the symptoms that we may experience.

FACT: Estrogen levels, for most menopausal women, only drop to levels below those necessary for pregnancy but remain sufficient for all other normal body functions.

With this in mind, it is actually more accurate to view our menopausal symptoms as abnormalities brought on by our cultural deviation away from a healthy lifestyle. If you have spent decades eating refined and processed food, avoiding exercise and being exposed to a variety of unavoidable xenoestrogens (pesticides, herbicides and petrochemicals), regaining hormone balance may be challenging at best.

But if you are willing to make some changes, there is hope! I must admit, changing my own habits has not been easy. Spending the time and energy to exercise, and actually read labels and make informed choices about what goes into my body, has not always been #1 on my hit parade. But was it worth the effort? Most definitely! Especially the older I get.

A big reason for much of our discomfort is that many of the processed foods we consume are our favorite “comfort foods”. Those yummy, sinful goodies we stuff in our mouths when we’re upset or feel the need to nurture ourselves. Examples of these… anything chocolate, ice cream, donuts, cookies, chips loaded with our favorite dip… you get the picture!! So let’s learn our 10 Commandments to get you on the fast track to a healthier menopause.

Rule #1
Thou shalt not even try and eliminate all decadent treats from your diet… at least not all at once.

Besides, that’s too harsh a step for most of us. Think about it, if we are eating certain foods to nurture ourselves, and then suddenly yank them away, all those parts inside us we’re trying to nurture are going to rebel. And I don’t have to tell you what that leads to – obsessing about food, binging and guilt. Removing the junk food is not meant to be a punishment and shouldn’t be viewed that way. Always remember, you’re doing this to enhance your life and energize your body.

The strategy should be to gradually cut down on the amount you eat. Eat two cookies instead of ten. Eat one-fourth of a bag of chips instead of the whole bag. Eat one bowl of ice cream instead of the entire carton!!

Begin to think of those foods as occasional treats rather than daily sustenance while you find more effective ways to nurture your body and soul. And remember: It takes less time to avoid eating extra calories than to burn them off!!

Also, there are often numerous unresolved emotional issues that play themselves out in the form of emotional eating. Should you recognize this behavior in yourself, please, make every effort to seek out appropriate counseling. These unresolved emotional matters are often at the root of unhealthy eating habits.

Lastly, stop weighing yourself (this was hard for me) and use your dress size as your gauge.

Read the rest of this entry »

There is a considerable amount of controversy surrounding the use of Monosodium Glutamate in the foods that we eat. Initially, MSG was classified by the Food and Drug Administration as ’safe’. However, speculation surrounding its potential harmful side effects has been mounting. MSG consumption has led to a variety of reported claims including severe headache, diarrhea, fatigue, numbness in the back of the neck, tingling, heat and pressure in the face, thirst, weakness in the upper back and neck, chest pain, headache, elevated heart rate and difficulty breathing. Once termed ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome’, the truth is that this hidden menace exists in a majority of the items on the grocery store shelves.

What is MSG? MSG is a substance that is formally categorized as an excitotoxin, which is a chemical that causes brain cells to become overexcited and fire uncontrollably. It is added to food by manufacturers as a cheap way to make bland inadequate foods taste better for the consumer. It saves the food industry vast amounts of money to process this way.

The ‘G’ in MSG stands for glutamate. Many flavorful foods are naturally high in glutamate such as cheese, mushrooms and tomatoes. MSG, on the other hand, is processed. It’s the sodium salt of the amino acid, glutamic acid, and is a different form of glutamate than that which occurs in the foods mentioned above.

Research indicates that MSG and other excitotoxins, such as the commonly used sweetener, aspartame, have the potential for inflicting permanent damage on a growing brain and nervous system and even kill brain cells.

The federal government, however, has aided the food industry by allowing differing levels of MSG to be labeled under other names, in effect to hide its presence in what we buy. One of our greatest weapons against MSG is to read the labels with caution. Take the following list with you to the grocery store to aid you in your choices. The list is, sadly, not all inclusive.

Additives that always contain MSG include:

• Monosodium Glutamate
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (eg. corn protein, pea protein)
• Hydrolyzed Protein
• Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
• Plant Protein Extract
• Sodium Caseinate
• Calcium Caseinate
• Yeast Extract
• Textured Protein
• Autolyzed Yeast
• Hydrolyzed Oat Flour

Additives that frequently contain MSG or may contain it include:

• Malt extract
• Bouillon
• Broth
• Stock
• Flavoring
• Natural Flavoring/flavors
• Natural Beef or Chicken Flavoring
• Seasoning
• Spices
• Carrageenan
• Enzymes
• Soy Protein Concentrate
• Soy Protein Isolate
• Whey Protein Concentrate

Also please be aware that just because a product is labeled ‘NO MSG’ or is sitting in the organic section of the store does not make it MSG-free. You must read the labels just as carefully.

Processed foods are the culprits: crackers, chips, soups, instant rice/potatoes/pastas, meal ‘helpers’, even baby foods, contain increased amounts and the list goes on and on.

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Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

What is it that approximately 25 million Americans have in common? They have osteoporosis. And the even more staggering statistic is that 80 percent of those who suffer are women. So, ladies: Pull up a chair, get comfortable and let’s get started!

We’ve all heard of osteoporosis, true? We hear that we should ‘do this’ or ‘do that’ to avoid its onset. But what exactly is osteoporosis? What causes it to settle in and what can we do to prevent it? This article is a the first of a three-part series that is aimed at women to help explain what we can do to take charge of our health now to minimize the effects of this potentially debilitating disorder.

Osteoporosis means “porous bones.” Literally, that translates to bones with tiny holes. Bone is a living tissue and is constantly forming new bone cells and removing old cells that are no longer useful. This addition and subtraction of bone from our skeleton is called bone remodeling, and five to ten percent of our bone is replaced through this process every single year. Bone remodeling involves two types of bone cells. Osteoblasts create new bone cells, while osteoclasts are responsible for removing old cells from the skeleton. This delicate balance is carefully regulated by many of the hormones in our body such as estrogen, progesterone, calcitonin,and the thyroid. Like a coral reef, our bones are very much alive and continuously renewing themselves. What can start to happen, though, is an inadequate rebuilding of bone, which, in turn, produces osteoporosis. Simply put, new bone is not replacing old bone.

According to peak bone mass theory, our bones reach their peak level of healthy density by our early 20’s and begin to decrease in our mid-30’s. In the years preceding menopause, bone loss begins to exceed the addition of new bone to the skeleton with the first years after the onset of menopause, which is typically a time of rapid bone loss for many women. This loss may occur at a rate of one to three percent or more per year, for up to five to ten years after menopause.

By age 65, some women may even see a 50 percent bone loss, leading to a greater risk for hip fracture. This hip fracture can occur easily and can be as simple as a slight ‘misstep,’ without even falling down. Of these women who fracture their hips, a large percentage lose their independence of living and end up in a nursing home. 25 percent of these women die within two years.

So as you can see, this is a very serious health issue we must address. As women who care about our health, we must educate and equip ourselves with knowledge and information so that we do not inadvertently travel down that road of suffering.

Ladies, as we mentioned earlier, it’s time to get started! Contact Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage, to assist you on your journey toward optimum health. Jill will work with you to improve your diet, digestion, and hormone balance, as well as make sure that your calcium intake – along with other nutrients and minerals – are absorbed and utilized so that bone can rebuild, repair and renew effectively. The time is NOW to start creating a healthier and more vibrant future!

Stay tuned for Part Two of this series which will highlight the underlying causes of osteoporosis so you can be aware of how your current lifestyle is either leading you toward one of optimum health… or one of illness.

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Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

In the previous article we discussed osteoporosis and how, as women, we need to be on full alert! As we mentioned, osteoporosis is a serious health issue involving the loss of bone with adequate rebuilding. The actual process of osteoporosis is so subtle that we generally don’t even notice that anything is happening! The process takes place over a period of many years as our bones become thinner and start to degenerate.

So it’s time to identify what causes osteoporosis so that we can ensure we are doing everything we can to achieve optimum health. It’s hard to believe that something as hard as our bones can eventually become thin and brittle, isn’t it? But they can. And there may be some things we are currently doing in our lives to actually encourage this bone loss. Read on!

It is the loss of bone calcium that leads to our bones growing thin and porous. Most of us think that a lack of dietary calcium is the culprit. It’s not, though. Sure, enzyme deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, and hypothyroidism are part of the issue, too. But the increased rise in osteoporosis is aimed directly at the standard American diet we see all around us. You know: Refined and processed foods, soft drinks that are high in phosphorous, and diets that include too much protein, sugar, and/or salt. And of course, add to that – excess consumption of coffee or alcohol, which also leads to a breakdown of the bones.

When our diets are depleted of those necessary nutrients, here’s what happens:

1) The body cannot absorb calcium (either through the food we eat or supplements we take) so instead it turns to our bones and teeth for the calcium it needs.
2) The body does not receive its “building blocks” for healthy bones.

So the bottom-line, then, is this: Our poor diets are bad for our bones.

How does your current diet match up? See any habits you have created that are moving you closer to developing thinning bones? Ready to work with a professional to start creating a healthier lifestyle?

Be sure to contact Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage, to assist you on your journey toward optimum health. Jill will work with you to improve your diet, digestion, and hormone balance, as well as make sure that your calcium intake – along with other nutrients and minerals – are absorbed and utilized so that bone can rebuild, repair and renew effectively. The time is NOW to start creating a healthier and more vibrant future!

**************************************************

Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

Welcome back! Osteoporosis. In the previous two articles, we discussed how as women, we need to be on full alert for the potential onset of this serious health issue. We talked about the facts and we highlighted some causes. So now, ready to learn what YOU can do to take control of your health?

Since we know that osteoporosis is a ‘thinning of the bones’ where actual degeneration takes place (and the process can be so subtle that we don’t even realize that it’s underway), it’s absolutely essential to know what solutions are out there to help us stay as strong as we can. Let’s see how you rate…

Take a look at the following statements and answer with either a “yes” or “no,” depending on whether or not you agree:

1) I consume plenty of (use your intuition; you know what “plenty” means for you):

a. Protein
b. Sea salt
c. Fruit
d. Green, leafy vegetables
e. Raw milk and cheese
f. Whole grains

2) I take natural progesterone (if applicable).

3) I stay away from processed foods, especially white sugar, white flour, white rice, and margarine.

4) I avoid coffee.

5) I avoid alcohol.

6) I avoid soda.

7) I receive enzyme therapy to assure that the calcium in my food is broken down and carried to the cells in my body.

I do not smoke.

9) I get enough sunlight.

10) I exercise regularly.

So how do your current behaviors match up with a healthy lifestyle? Were you able to say “yes” at least ten times? If not, it’s time to get going and do the right things to prevent osteoporosis.

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Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

Raw milk… This sounds so strange to our modern ears. Raw means not cooked, right? Milk isn’t cooked. Is it?

Close your eyes and imagine a dairy cow. The golden sun shines as she munches lush green grass in a pasture. Here comes the farmer in his overalls and hat, coming to bring his girls in for their afternoon milking. Cowbells jingle as the cows stroll to the barn.

Time for a reality check. Chances are the milk you drink came from a cow that has never even seen grass. In fact, she stands in the same sludgy spot most of her days. She eats grain – because it’s cheaper than providing the land and grass needed for grazing. So, she stands in a line with a thousand other cows, producing milk like a machine. She’s only producing large amounts of milk during her short life because she’s been pumped full of hormones.

You might think grain makes for good cow chow, but it’s not what cows normally eat. A grain diet will eventually kill cows by destroying their livers. This toxicity necessitates widespread use of antibiotics in the cows’ feed. Why is grain used? Two reasons – it’s cheap, and it fattens cows quickly, hastening its nearly inevitable trip to the slaughterhouse.

The milk from these cows is pasteurized, which kills the germs and bacteria swimming in it – but which also kills all of the good nutrients and beneficial bacteria that make milk a potentially perfect food. Because of how it’s produced, raw milk doesn’t need to be pasteurized. Ultra-pasteurization superheats the milk to162 -167°F (72 – 75°C) for 15 – 20 seconds to kill harmful bacteria, thereby increasing shelf life. However, because pasteurization also kills beneficial bacteria, breaks down proteins, destroys the enzymes that make milk more digestible, and damages milk’s naturally-occurring vitamins, unpasteurized raw milk is a much better choice.

The milk you buy at the grocery store has also been homogenized, which means it’s been processed to make it uniform. The fat is evenly distributed throughout the product, rather than rising to the top as cream. Raw milk hasn’t been homogenized, a process preventing separation. The process subjects the fat and cholesterol in milk to oxidization, which increases free radical action, cell mutation, and inflammation. Homogenization is harmful because the fat globules are broken into tiny particles which permeate our intestines. This causes them to bypass the normal digestion process that takes place in the intestines. They then enter the blood stream.

Raw milk, on the other hand, is not pasteurized or homogenized. Sound like a recipe for food poisoning? If you were to drink the milk from the typical dairy cow without processing it, yes. But this kind of raw milk comes from a wholly different kind of cow.

Because of how it is produced – happy cows grazing on fresh grass without the help of hormones or antibiotics – it retains all of the goodness that makes milk a perfect food.

While we are told that fat is bad, there is mounting evidence that fats have an important place in our diets. The healthy butterfat in raw milk contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an omega-6 fatty acid. CLA has shown anticancer and immune system-boosting properties. Did you know that healthy fats and proteins are the carriers of our most important micronutrients? For a delicious way to enjoy eating fresh veggies, simply drizzle them with raw butter. Fresh fruit topped with raw cream makes a very satisfying dessert.

Raw milk is much higher in vitamin A, D and CLA because of the cows’ diet. Another plus – grass-fed cows’ milk is usually organic, meaning the cows are raised humanely, without antibiotics or hormones, enjoying a diet of fresh grass eaten in the fresh air. However, raw milk does not necessarily have to be from cows. Goats, camels, and water buffalo are other good sources.

Drinking raw milk is like drinking sunshine. The cows eat grass infused with vitamins A and D from the fresh air and sunshine. They produce milk with all of those nutrients, and they’re left intact because the milk isn’t pasteurized or homogenized. This lack of heat processing gives raw milk an advantage over the supermarket variety. All the proteins, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals are left intact. Proteins and fats are the building blocks for life, increasing absorption of vitamins and minerals and boosting our immune systems.

Even lactose-intolerant people may be able to drink milk if it’s raw. Lactose is the sugar found in milk. In raw milk, lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose, is still present to assist in digestion even while your body may be somewhat lacking in lactase. Raw milk comes with its own enzymes to help your body digest protein and fats as well. These enzymes are destroyed by pasteurization. So your body gets the nutrition it needs with less work.

Raw milk still has a full complement of bacteria, including Lactobacillus. This bacteria turns lactose into lactic acid. Who wants sour milk? Everyone’s heard of the benefits of yogurt, and that’s where real yogurt starts. Don’t discard your raw milk when it gets sour – make your own yogurt and gain even more health benefits.

To sum it up, raw milk, with all its nutritious benefits, may just be nature’s perfect food. Pick some up today, and drink a glass of sunshine.

In Santa Clarita, you can buy raw milk at Whole Foods from Organic Pastures and Claravale Farms.

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Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…
DONE wishing for better health?
TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

Drinking soda is so bad for your health that science can’t even state all the consequences. According to the Nutrition Research Center in October of 2007, here’s what happens in your body when you assault it with just one can of soda:

• Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hits your system. This is 100 percent of your RDA. The only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.
• Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes; the liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.
• Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; pupils dilate, blood pressure rises, and your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.
• Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin.
• After 60 minutes, you’ll start a sugar crash.

How many sodas have you had today? How about your kids?

One soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites. It’s also your largest source of dangerous high-fructose modified corn syrup.

What’s in a can of soda?

• Phosphoric Acid: Interferes with the body’s ability to use calcium, leading to osteoporosis or softening of the teeth and bones. It can also interfere with digestion.
• Sugar: Sugar increases insulin levels which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and more. Most sodas contain over 100 percent of the RDA of sugar.
• Aspartame: This dangerous chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soda. Over 92 different health side effects are associated with aspartame including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures.
• Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks cause jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin/mineral depletion, breast lumps, birth defects, and may be linked to some forms of cancer.

Protect your family from soda. Pure water is a much better choice. If you prefer a carbonated beverage, try sparkling mineral water with a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. Gerolsteiner is my favorite brand of naturally carbonated water containing naturally occurring CO2.

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Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.