I've had a bunch of people doing the cleanse over the last few weeks and as I have spoken to them as they have gone through it and at completion of it, I have been hearing of one benefit that comes as a surprise to many cleansers. We don't promote it that heavily, but it seems that everyone notices and raves about the significant improvement in the appearance of their SKIN.
They see improvements in terms of fewer blemishes, but it is deeper (no pun intended) than that - their skin seems brighter, clearer, more vibrant, younger, less ashy, less dry and flaky, less puffy, their pores are smaller, the lines on their face seem less severe or deep.  The improvement is often most noticeable - especially the reduction in puffiness and dark circles - around their eyes.

I had a pretty good sense of why this occurs, but just to be sure, I check in with Dr. Rober Abbatiello, L.Ac ND, author and formulator of the cleanses I market.  His response:

• "The skin becomes clear during the 11 Day Power Cleanse because the body is able to rid itself of toxins.
• The skin is an organ of elimination. When your body is overburdened with toxins it uses the skin as a dumping ground.
• When the liver can’t handle the toxic load it sends the extra to the lymph when the lymph becomes overburdened the lungs and skin take a more active role in elimination.
• Bad skin, bad breath, toxic body.
• By reversing this trend and elimination toxins the skin clears up."

Dr. Abbatiello went on to say "The skin is generally either first or last to clear-up, so if your skin doesn’t clear up don’t think that you’re not cleansing, it is a process. Mostly though people during the cleanse generally have a fantastic glow about them with excellent skin tone."

That explanation matches up perfectly my own experience.  It's what I am hearing and seeing, too.

All the best in Health !

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Cleanse , Improved Appearance
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You liked the “fast” part, right?

As a rule, I’m contemptuous of fast weight loss methods, because they invariably trigger rebound weight gain.  But there’s one way to lose weight quickly without causing a rebound: losing what some doctors now call “false fat”.

False fat is the five to ten extra pounds of water weight, generally accompanied by abdominal bloating from gas, that comes from eating foods that cause food reactions.  False fat isn’t really fat, or adipose tissue, but it looks like fat, feels like fat, and can last forever if you don’t do something about it.
Again, this false fat may be on your body due to a food reaction and you may not even be aware that you are having the reaction.

Most people think of food reactions as allergies, but allergies are just one type of food reaction.  The other, more common type of reaction is a food sensitivity, which is an allergy, but milder.  All forms of food reactions, however, have similar symptoms: water retention, abdominal bloating from gas, food cravings, heartburn and indigestion, facial puffiness, and low energy.  If you frequently have more than one of these symptoms, it’s quite possibly due to food reactions.

Food reactions typically occur when people can’t fully digest what they eat.  For example, the food reaction of lactose intolerance is an inability to fully digest lactose, the sugar in dairy products.  When food molecules can’t be fully digested, the body identifies them as foreign invaders – such as pathogens – and tries to get rid of them, in part by washing them away with extra water.

This inability to fully digest foods is extremely common these days, because:
-We eat too narrow a range of foods.  Most people get about 75% of their total calories from only about 10 of their favorite staples.  Unfortunately, when you overeat any one food, you can exhaust your body’s ability to digest it, by depleting specific digestive enzymes.
-We eat artificial foods that the body doesn’t recognize as foods.
-We eat foods we’re not genetically programmed to eat.  The easiest foods to digest are those your ancestors thrived on.  The hardest to digest are the foods your ancestors rarely ate.  For example, Asians and African Americans have extremely high rates of lactose intolerance, mostly because their ancestors didn’t consume many dairy products.

Spend some time on identifying and addressing such reactions.  Finding and resolving them, if you have them, will go a long way to helping you achieve your fitness goals.

All the Best in Health!

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Exercise , Improved Appearance
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Let me reply to another question from our One Body, One Life community - actually, here are a series of questions from Alfredo on the post about food reactions and getting a flat stomach:

Hey Alfredo,
Let me address your questions as specifically as I can by typing your question first, OK?

Greg: So my questions are, do you react to the foods instantly or does it depend on the amount consumed per day?

Both actually, but you would be amazed how we acclimate and adapt to food allergies. So instead of looking for a reaction, you're better off cutting them out of your daily diet one by one and looking for what gives you relief, makes you feel better, more energetic, and less inflammatory (or inflamed).
Perfect example: you would be amazed how much inflammation eggs cause to our bodies and I love eggs.

Also, does taking digestive enzymes help with the reactions?

Enzymes help with efficiency of digestion and assimilation, which in effect can reduce a reaction response - exceptions are wheat or dairy. Enzymes don't help with them, Alfredo.

Greg:  last but not least, you mentioned an expensive test with the doctor to see what foods you would react to - what's the name of the test? Cheers!  Alfredo

Yes, there are blood tests, prick tests, and even DNA tests. Just try to find a local certified nutritionist in your area and they should be able to easily direct you in the right direction.

Cheers to you Alfredo, and I hope this helped.

All the best in health!

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Community Questions , Improved Appearance , Nutrition
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Last week I discussed how reactions to certain foods can make your body looks like it is carrying 5-10 additional pounds.  Here is some more information on this topic and some suggestions for identifying and addressing this issue.
Because it’s hard for your body to digest foods that you eat too often, the foods that most often cause food reactions are usually very common foods.  Most comon are the six “repeat offenders” that cause a huge majority of reactions. 

The Six Repeat Offenders:
Wheat
Dairy products
Eggs
Corn
Soy
Peanuts

Others that often cause problems are shellfish, chocolate, gluten (in wheat, rye, and oats), citrus fruits, M.S.G., and aspartame.

People often love the foods to which they are most reactive, because reactive foods can cause a drug-like response.  As they enter the bloodstream – and trigger a distress alarm when they’re identified as a foreign invader – part of the body’s distress response is a release of feel-good endorphins, and energy-boosting insulin and adrenaline.  This creates temporary spikes of contentment and satisfaction – which inevitably subside, causing a desire for more of the food: cravings!

It’s easy to find out if you’re reactive to various foods by taking a rather expensive doctor’s test.  Most people, though, can figure it out just by avoiding certain suspicious foods for about a week, to see if their symptoms subside.  To do this, restrict all of your suspicious foods – the ones you eat most often, and seem to crave.  Then add them back in one at a time, looking for symptoms, such as indigestion, or the gain of water weight.  This procedure can be challenging, because it’s hard to avoid your favorite foods.  But it can really pay off!

Note: some clients have found that the best time to do this "add them back in" test is after a cleanse, but you don't have to cleanse to identify reactions.

When you eliminate all your reactive foods, you’ll probably lose several pounds of water weight, or edema, almost instantly. You’ll look and feel much better.  And after you rid your system of the last vestiges of your offending foods, your cravings for them will drop dramatically.  Conquering cravings will benefit your dieting efforts tremendously.

You’ll quickly find that there are numerous substitutes available for virtually all foods.  Why?  Because millions of people need them, since food reactions are so common.

Give this effort some consideration. It’s very important.

All the Best in Health!

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Improved Appearance
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Greetings everyone.
So, I am at a family dinner and my sister pulls us all into my dad's office and shows me this  "Elf Yourself " sequence she put together.
I almost fell over laughing.
Talk about changing your appearance!
This program is hysterical.
We then spent the next hour and a half putting all our heads on to elves -  even my 7 month old daughter.

Tip : The funnier the photo the better the result. Mouth open photo's are priceless and the program let's you edit really well.

It's very addicting - you have got to try it.

I sent it out as a virtual holiday cheer to everyone and it is just a very cool thing.  I even did a before and after of one of my clients and she could not believe the difference.

We all want a different body or a different image of our (s)elves sometime.
Well, this could be your moment. 
Or, better yet, just a little fun to get the holiday spirit in full gear.

All the best in health !

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Current Events , Improved Appearance , Laughing
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nPeriodically, I let you know of a magazine or newspaper article or a segment on TV in which I am featured or discussed or in which I give some advice. 
Not sure if this article in yesterday's New York Post newspaper will be of interest to everyone, but I do lay out a brief, 3 exercise program (on the second page) aimed at looking good in the hot new bathing suits of the moment.  I thought I'd highlight it for you - you might like "the 3 best exercises tips (reverse lunges, bent knee narrow push-ups and rear dips)...or you might like the bathing suits...

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Exercise , Improved Appearance , Media Appearances
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Ask Yourself These Questions About Your Body
On a scale of 1 to 5, how well does this describe you?
"1" means it doesn't fit you at all, and "5" means it fits you perfectly.

1. Despite no significant changes in my diet or exercise habits, I have been gradually gaining weight.
1 2 3 4 5

2. My biggest problem areas for fat storage are my hips and thighs. 
1 2 3 4 5

3. I'm prone to bladder infections and uterine fibroids.
1 2 3 4 5

4. I tend to have night sweats, which are not related to any chronic disease.
1 2 3 4 5

5. I seem to crave sugary foods and starchy foods more than I once did.
1 2 3 4 5

6. It feels as if I'm beginning to suffer PMS-type symptoms - such as bloating or mood swings - during times of the month that should be free from PMS-type symptoms.
1 2 3 4 5

7. I've had hot flashes and heart palpitations for more than two months.
1 2 3 4 5

8. I have more food cravings than I used to.
1 2 3 4 5

9. I'm beginning to have insomnia from time to time.
1 2 3 4 5

10. I tend to be more vulnerable to minor illnesses, such as colds and flu, than I was when I was younger.
1 2 3 4 5

11. Something is wrong with my energy level.  I just don't have as much vitality as I once did.
1 2 3 4 5

YOUR SCORE:
50 - 55  Your hormones are significantly imbalanced.  It's quite possible
you have too much estrogen and not enough progesterone.  Consider consulting your doctor.

45 - 49  You may not need medical treatment, but your hormones are not optimally balanced.  See the suggestions at the end of this chapter section "Why Women Have it Harder."

40 - 44  You are on the borderline of significant hormonal imbalance.  (See "Why Women Have it Harder.")

35 - 39  You have the beginning symptoms of moderate hormonal imbalance.  (See "Why Women Have it Harder.")

34 and under  Your hormones are generally well balanced at this point.

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Improved Appearance , Quizzes , Weight Control
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Yesterday, I discussed how reactions to certain foods can make your body looks like it is carrying 5-10 additional pounds.  Here is some more information on this topic and some suggestions for identifying and addressing this issue.

Because it’s hard for your body to digest foods that you eat too often, the foods that most often cause food reactions are usually very common foods.  The six “repeat offenders” that cause a huge majority of reactions are:
The Six Repeat Offenders

1. Wheat
2. Dairy products
3. Eggs
4. Corn
5. Soy
6. Peanuts

Others that often cause problems are shellfish, chocolate, gluten (in wheat, rye, and oats), citrus fruits, M.S.G., and aspartame.

People often love the foods to which they are most reactive, because reactive foods can cause a drug-like response.  As they enter the bloodstream – and trigger a distress alarm when they’re identified as a foreign invader – part of the body’s distress response is a release of feel-good endorphins, and energy-boosting insulin and adrenaline.  This creates temporary spikes of contentment and satisfaction – which inevitably subside, causing a desire for more of the food: cravings!

It’s easy to find out if you’re reactive to various foods, by taking a rather expensive doctor’s test.  Most people, though, can figure it out just by avoiding certain suspicious foods for about a week, to see if their symptoms subside.  To do this, restrict all of your suspicious foods – the ones you eat most often, and seem to crave.  Then add them back in one at a time, looking for symptoms, such as indigestion, or the gain of water weight.  This procedure can be challenging, because it’s hard to avoid your favorite foods.  But it can really pay off.

Note: some clients have found that the best time to do this "add them back in" test is after a cleanse, but you don't have to cleanse to identify reactions.

When you eliminate all your reactive foods, you’ll probably lose several pounds of water weight, or edema, almost instantly. You’ll look and feel much better.  And after you rid your system of the last vestiges of your offending foods, your cravings for them will drop dramatically.  Conquering cravings will benefit your dieting efforts tremendously.
You’ll quickly find that there are numerous substitutes available for virtually all foods.  Why?  Because millions of people need them, since food reactions are so common.
Give this effort some consideration. It’s very important.

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Improved Appearance
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You liked the “fast” part, right?
As a rule, I’m contemptuous of fast weight loss methods, because they invariably trigger rebound weight gain.  But there’s one way to lose weight quickly without causing a rebound: losing what some doctors now call “false fat”. 
False fat is the five to ten extra pounds of water weight, generally accompanied by abdominal bloating from gas, that comes from eating foods that cause food reactions.  False fat isn’t really fat, or adipose tissue, but it looks like fat, feels like fat, and can last forever if you don’t do something about it.
Again, this false fat may be on your body due to a food reaction and you may not even be aware that you are having the reaction.
Most people think of food reactions as allergies, but allergies are just one type of food reaction.  The other, more common type of reaction is a food sensitivity, which is an allergy, but milder.  All forms of food reactions, however, have similar symptoms: water retention, abdominal bloating from gas, food cravings, heartburn and indigestion, facial puffiness, and low energy.  If you frequently have more than one of these symptoms, it’s quite possibly due to food reactions.
Food reactions typically occur when people can’t fully digest what they eat.  For example, the food reaction of lactose intolerance is an inability to fully digest lactose, the sugar in dairy products.  When food molecules can’t be fully digested, the body identifies them as foreign invaders – such as pathogens – and tries to get rid of them, in part by washing them away with extra water.
This inability to fully digest foods is extremely common these days, because:

• We eat too narrow a range of foods.  Most people get about 75% of their total calories from only about 10 of their favorite staples.  Unfortunately, when you overeat any one food, you can exhaust your body’s ability to digest it, by depleting specific digestive enzymes.
• We eat artificial foods that the body doesn’t recognize as foods.
• We eat foods we’re not genetically programmed to eat.  The easiest foods to digest are those your ancestors thrived on.  The hardest to digest are the foods your ancestors rarely ate.  For example, Asians and African Americans have extremely high rates of lactose intolerance, mostly because their ancestors didn’t consume many dairy products.

Tomorrow, I will post some suggestions on how to identify and address such reactions.  Finding and resolving them, if you have them, will go a long way to helping you achieve your fitness goals.

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Improved Appearance
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A lot of people who think they have beer bellies actually have yeast bellies. 
Their bellies – swollen and distended – look as if they are surrounded by fat. 
In reality, they are bloated from excessive presence of yeast. 
One source of this yeast may indeed be from beer - which leads many people to think that they have beer bellies - but even people who never touch beer can develop yeast bellies. 
This is, in fact, an extremely common occurrence.
Yeast is a natural nutritional fungus that is always present in the intestines, and also in other mucosal tissues, including those of the sinuses and throat.  Yeast is kept at healthy levels by the body’s friendly, probiotic bacteria, which are particularly abundant in the gut.  Unfortunately, though, yeast can proliferate, and kill the friendly bacteria around it.
Factors that cause this include:

• Eating too much yeast, in substances such as bread or beer.
• Taking antibiotics, which kill the friendly bacteria that control yeast.
• Consuming foods that support yeast growth, such as sugar and vinegar.
• Inhaling other fungi, such as mildew, or mold.

When yeast becomes too abundant, it is identified by the body as a foreign invader, which triggers the immune response.  The immune response causes feelings of fatigue, malaise, weakness, and flu-like symptoms.
These symptoms of excessive yeast production strike millions of people every day, and many of these people misinterpret the symptoms as those of a minor illness.  Some people even take antibiotics for the problem, which kills even more friendly bacteria, and makes things worse.
When yeast growth becomes excessive, it ferments foods in the intestines, and causes indigestion and swelling.  It especially ferments sweets, as well as foods that are hard to digest, such as dairy products.  This is the main reason yeast overgrowth causes the gut to swell, creating a classic “yeast belly.”  In the sinuses and nasal cavities, yeast can also cause swelling, in addition to other allergy-like symptoms.
These symptoms are similar to those caused by food reactions, and they can exacerbate the symptoms of food reactions (especially those caused by yeasty foods, such as bread).
If you seem to become bloated when you drink beer, eat baked goods, or take antibiotics, you may have excessive yeast, and you should try to kill it.
Your To Do List:

• Stop eating the foods that create it and aggravate it, including baked goods, beer, sugar, vinegar, and pickled foods.
• Take probiotics, such as acidophilus or our protein complete. They will boost your healthy bacteria. Another great product is Trinity > found in most health food stores but pretty pricy .
• Take natural fungus-killers, such as garlic, caprylic acid, echinacea, or goldenseal – either separately, or in an anti-yeast supplement, available in health food

Give these suggestions a try and tell me if you see improvements in your appearance and feel lighter, healthier and stronger.

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Improved Appearance , Nutrition
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