Blood Sugar, Adrenals & Thyroid

by Glen Depke

Your blood sugar, adrenals and thyroid are intimately connected and potentially create quite a bit of pain and suffering when they are not balanced. So the question is, what does it feel like when your blood sugar, adrenal and thyroid balance is off?

Well, do you recognize any of these?

• Crave sweets
• Fatigue after meals
• Depend on coffee
• General fatigue
• Feel shaky or jittery
• Constant hunger
• Feel agitated or nervous
• Need for sweets after meals
• Upset easily
• Waist girth larger then hip girth
• Blurred vision
• Frequent urination
• Eat often to relieve fatigue  
• Difficulty losing weight
• Poor memory or forgetfulness
• Migraine headaches or pain
• Become lightheaded missing meals
• Sweet cravings not relieved by eating them
• Become irritable when missing meals
• Grouchy in the morning

If you recognize these with any consistency, you could be living with blood sugar, adrenal, thyroid imbalance. This could be due to hypo or hyperglycemic issues.

Looking at blood sugar very simply, our bodies have evolved to regulate this during times of famine when blood sugar drops and sweets were scarce. This is typically not an issue in these times and honestly, sweets are anything but scarce. An over indulgence in carbs such as white rice, fruit, soda or your favorite latte can and does often lead to a spike in blood sugar, which in turn leads to a release of insulin to normalize your glucose levels. When this mechanism occurs often, which is generally the case, the pancreas overproduces insulin, which in turn can drop blood sugar too low, with the end result of exciting the "fight or flee" response. This response will then lead to a production of cortisol, which in the end can create difficulties for digestion, immunity, overall hormone balance and of course, the thyroid. Understand that if you body is in a "fight or flee" thyroid balance is no longer important. Your body will almost always pick the "fight or flee" over general health and balance.

I trust that you can see where this creates some issues.

When this cycle continues over time, the body can lose its ability to keep blood sugar stable. When blood sugar is not stable this effects adrenal function which ends up being a core challenge for so many other health issues. The challenges that this causes with the gut, brain, immune system and chronic inflammation often sets individuals up for autoimmunity, which often effects thyroid function.

Here's a catch 22 on this though.

Low thyroid function slows the response of insulin to elevated blood sugar, so the glucose is slow to enter the cells for energy production. This can actually lead to individuals testing with normal glucose levels, yet still challenged with symptoms of too low of blood sugar.

Specific to a hypoglycemic, you could feel any of the listed symptoms:

• Crave sweets
• Depend on coffee
• Feel shaky or jittery
• Feel agitated or nervous
• Upset easily
• Blurred vision
• Eat often to relieve fatigue  
• Poor memory or forgetfulness
• Become lightheaded missing meals
• Become irritable when missing meals
• Grouchy in the morning

To assist in normalizing these blood sugar instabilities, here are some simple tips:

• Never skip breakfast
• Eat a protein with your breakfast
• Eat a protein with every meal
• Keep your carb consumption to low glycemic choices
• Don't allow yourself to be "starving" prior to eating
• If ever indulging in moderate to high glycemic foods always eat with added fat
• Never eat sweets or sugary foods prior to bed
• Avoid fruit juices and carrot juice
• Avoid caffeine
• Always combine fat, protein and carbs every time you eat

This would be a good start to you regulating your blood sugar and definitely play a role in the entire blood sugar, adrenal and thyroid challenges.

If you have yet to register for our complimentary webinar "Thyroid Treatment...Ridiculous!" on Tuesday August 7th, register now.

If you have any comments or questions in regard to this newsletter, leave this below and we will address this personally.

The Authentic Almond Project

The Authentic Almond Project

California-grown raw almonds are no longer raw, following enactment of a new federal rule. The USDA mandate requires raw almonds to be sanitized using treatment processes that the industry generously describes as “pasteurization.”


The rule requires sanitation of almonds with a toxic fumigant or treatment with high-temperature heat. The scheme imposes significant financial burdens on small-scale and organic growers, lacks scientific justification, damages domestic almond markets, and does not address the unsustainable methods used on the industrial-scale almond orchards where the only two documented Salmonella outbreaks have occurred. And the treated almonds can still be deceptively labeled as “raw!”

Learn More...

Create a Suppportive Life Story

Glen's Comments:

I always share with my clients that the lives we live are based on the stories we create. If we do not like the life we are experiencing, it starts with making up something new. Enjoy this article below brought to  you by www.DailyOM.com

Create a Supportive Life Story
Empowered Storytelling

by Madisyn Taylor


We all have a story to tell, but sometimes we get stuck in that story and become our story.


We all have our own life story. It is filled with relationships and events that help shape who we are and what we believe to be true about the world. Depending on our perspective and willingness to grow, our experiences can become fodder for negativity and patterns of playing the victim, or they can fuel a life of empowerment and continued self-development. It is the story we tell ourselves about what happens that makes all the difference.

Take a moment to look at the life story you create for yourself on an ongoing basis. If you generally feel peaceful about the past and trust in your ability to handle whatever comes your way, then you are framing circumstances in a manner that serves you well. On the other hand, if you retain a lot of guilt or resentment and often feel weighed down by life, you may want to start telling yourself a new version of past and present events. No matter who the characters are in your story or what they have done, you are the only one who can give their actions the meaning they will have for you. You are the only one who can define what role you will play in your own life. By taking responsibility for your story, you are able to learn and grow, forgive and find compassion, and most importantly, move on into a brighter future.

From now on, you can choose a life story that supports you. Let it be proof of your own resilience and creativity. Be kind with the roles you give yourself and generous with how many chances you get to learn what you need to know. When you remember that you are the author of your own story, you are free to create a masterpiece.

Gluten & Autoimmunity

by Glen Depke

Autoimmunity is a much more significant issue than most are lead to believe. Today we will discuss autoimmunity deeper than in the past and discuss one of the biggest factors leading into autoimmunity, which is gluten.

Last weeks article "Thyroid Treatment...Ridiculous!" brought up the point that the higher percentage of individuals that are diagnosed with thyroid issues are actually dealing with autoimmunity and not a thyroid issue per say. 

This has to be addressed!

Understand that autoimmunity is not just a thyroid issue. This can lead to challenges throughout the body and most likely lead to issues in the gut/colon, skin, nervous system tissue, pancreas, liver, brain, joints as well as the thyroid.

Let's first define autoimmunity as a production of antibodies against the tissues of your own body, producing autoimmune disease or hypersensitivity reactions. I tend to refer to the hypersensitive reactions as an autoimmune reaction.

Before we move on let me shed some light on conventional medical diagnosis of an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease cannot be diagnosed until you are in a full out tissue destruction state. That would be like you lending me your car and I bring it back only to tell you that your brakes are shot. But then say, don't worry about fixing your brakes until you actually run into someone or something and you hurt someone or something or kill someone. 

This does not make sense, does it? 

Thankfully autoimmune reactions can be recognized much earlier and you can address this early in the game before it is a life altering issue for you. This can be realized by addressing one of the most significant percursors to autoimmunity, which is gluten.

Here are the early steps to be recognized: 

1. Test and recognize antibodies to the proteins in gluten for those without health symptoms.
2. Test and recognize antibodies to the proteins in gluten for those with health symptoms.
3. Test and recognize full blown tissue destruction.

So you get to pick at which level you would like to recognize this challenge. I don't know about you, but I know where I would want to pick this up at and honestly I can share that I found my answer about 6 years ago in the first and earliest stage. 

You could too.

You may ask, what is gluten or am I referring to Celiac disease?

First of all, gluten is defined as the mixture of proteins, including gliadins and glutelins, found in wheat grains, which are not soluble in water and which give wheat dough its elastic texture. Let's take this a bit further though to mention that gluten is in far more grains than just wheat. Wheat just happens to be the biggest culprit here.

The other referring to Celiac disease can best be put into this statement. A gluten intolerance would be an immune system reaction to the consumption of gluten while Celiac disease would be a full blown autoimmune reaction to gluten. A gluten intolerance would be recognized as tested gliaden or glutelin antibodies, while Celiac disease would be assessed as a autoimmune disease. It is recognized that currently, 1 in 100 people in the U.S. have Celiac disease but the numbers would be staggeringly higher for those that are simply gluten intolerant. A couple of other interesting facts is that 87.5% of those with Celiac disease are asymptomatic, which means they have zero gut symptoms. Only 12.5% actually have symptoms. 

I also want to mention that the correlation between gluten intolerance and future autoimmunity is extremely strong. So strong that it is suggested that a gluten intolerance that is not addressed will have almost a 100% likelihood of becoming an autoimmune issue within a 5 year time span.

Yikes!

Of those "not addressed" gluten intolerances, 33% will create gut inflammation and gut issues while the other 67% will create other negative symptoms of the body seemingly unrelated to the gut.

This is often why people do not want to even look at gluten. I'll hear comments like, "I know gluten is not an issue for me because my digestion is very healthy." 

My, how often they are surprised! 

As a person with a gluten intolerance progresses, this can be recognized in one of 3 ways:

• Intestinal challenges
• Silent or without symptoms
• Symptoms outside of the gut
• Nervous system
• Skin
• Hormonal
• Joints
• Other

Another big question I get with regularity is," Why is gluten such a big deal all of a sudden?" 

First of all, this is not all of a sudden. This has been progressing rapidly over the last 50 years. The biggest issue with this is what has happened to our grains and specifically wheat. Wheat is now a significantly genetically modified food. It is deamidated which is a processing to make gluten more water soluble, which in turn also makes it more inflammatory. It is stored for long periods. The typical turn around between wheat being harvested and ending up on your dinner table is 2 years. This is a long time to develop enterotoxin contamination. This is also exasperated by other factors such as hygiene, leaky gut, chronic stress, poor nutrition and enzyme insufficiency.

While some people have to stay away from gluten containing products at all times, there are other that can do quite fine consuming gluten products in other areas of the world, such as Europe due to the fact that gluten products are not genetically modified or deamidated. In other words, often subjects have no reaction to a true native wheat flour but have severe reactions to deamidated wheat flour.

Get this...this is not a trend...this is real! 

So for those of you reading this today, what percentage of you actually are gluten intolerance? Is this 50%, 70% or even closer to 90%. I would suggest higher rather than lower.

So what do you do now?

• First take the gluten intolerance assessment which is complimentary at Depke Wellness. Click here for you free assessment.
• If you find score a 5 or above, I would recommend you do one of two things. First if possible, via testing assess antibodies to gliadins and/or glutelins as well as the wheat germ. If you do not have this as an option, I would eliminate gluten from your diet. For those testing, it is extremely likely that you would be eliminating gluten after reviewing test results.
• Test for other cross reactive foods or go on an anti inflammatory diet for at least 30 days, and slowly reintroduce the eliminated foods to assess your reactive states.
• Test for autoimmunity within your body.
• From here, there are supplement protocols to address the gut, brain and immune damage as well as intervention to assist with chronic inflammation. There are also protocols to support immune system regulation and assist with regaining balance in your immune function.

I understand that this may seem like an insurmountable task for many but trust me, it is much easier than dealing with the symptoms of tissue destruction of an autoimmune disease.


Remember, you can address an autoimmune reaction long before it is a full blown autoimmune disease and an unaddressed gluten intolerance is one of the biggest factors to address for most.


For those choosing to eliminate gluten, first off, congratulations. This is a significant commitment to health and happiness. Second, there is another complimentary download for you at Depke Wellness. You can get a free list of Gluten Foods in Categories that makes this commitment much easier. Get your list now.
 

Glen Depke

If you have any comments or questions in regard to this article, please leave them below and they will be addressed personally.

Thyroid Treatment...Ridiculous!

by Glen Depke

I see it time after time with clients diagnosed with thyroid challenges.

• An individual has all the symptoms of a thyroid challenge
• Thyroid labs are off
• Medication is prescribed
• Labs are now normal
• Yet all the symptom challenges remain unchanged

Here's another senario.

• An individual has all the symptoms of a thyroid challenge
• Thyroid labs all come back as normal in the reference range
• They are told everything is fine, yet they are still suffering with symptoms

Now do you get while I say thyroid treatment is ridiculous? 

I have not discussed the thyroid much in the past because I generally recognize the thyroid challenges are very often not tied into thyroid function. I truly cannot hold back any longer.


This has to be discussed.


First we will recognize what most doctors are looking at in regard to thyroid function. Most are looking at TSH, T4 and T3. TSH is the thyroid stimulating hormone that is produced in the pituitary gland who's purpose is to communicate to the thyroid how much T4 and T3 to produce. The T4 and T3 are hormones produced in the thyroid to allow the benefit of normal body function. So with this information, many practitioners are making diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction with this information. 
 
Let me show you why this is ridiculous.


Here is the comprehensive way of looking at what is going on with your thyroid.

• Hypothalamus send thyroid releasing hormone (TRH) to the pituitary gland
• Pituitary gland releases thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) to the thyroid gland
• TSH stimulates the thyroid to utilize iodine to create T4 and T3
• 93% of this production is T4 and 7% isT3 (Recognize that the body predominately functions on an active form of T3)
• 60% of your T4 is converted in the liver into  active T3
• 20% of your T4 is eventually converted in active T3 in your gastrointestinal tract
• 20% is converted into reverse T3 which is an inactive form
• Any remaining T4 is converted into active T3 in peripheral tissue

Even with this said, there is even more to understand when addressing thyroid function. Here's more

• One of the most common and often not assessed challenges for the thyroid is and autoimmune thyroid condition
• Another key factor is your (TBG) or thyroid binding globulin which is the protein that acts as the delivery system to transport the active T3 to the cells of your body for use

So what do you test if you are suspecting a thyroid challenge so you can actually address this properly and eliminate your symptoms?

• Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) 
• Total thyroxine (TT4)
• Free thyroxine index (FTI)
• Free thyroxine (FT4)
• Resin T3 uptake
• Free triiodothyroxine (FT3)
• Reverse T3 (rT3)
• Thyroid binding globulin (TBG)
• Thyroid antibodies

Now there's one more key here. It is important to recognize functional ranges rather than the typical reference ranges on the typical blood panel results. Often those outside of the functional or optimal ranges will already be suffering with the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction.


One last topic to mention.


What are the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction?


Here you go...

• Fatigue
• Weight gain despite adhering to your diet
• Morning headaches that wear off as the day progresses
• Depression
• Constipation
• Hypersensitivity to cold weather
• Poor circulation and numbness in the hands or feet
• Muscle cramps while at rest
• Increased susceptibility to colds and other infections and difficulty with recovery
• Slow wound healing
• Excessive sleep required to function normally
• Chronic digestive challenges such as low stomach acid
• Itchy dry skin
• Hair falls out easily
• Dry skin
• Low body temperature
• Edema, especially facial swelling
• Loss of the outermost portion of eyebrows

There you have it. The most comprehensive information I can provide in a short article. I trust that you can use this in some positive manner in your life.


I will be presenting a complimentary webinar on thyroid function coming soon. If you want this update and you are not currently signed up for the Depke Wellness newsletter, click here to register for our weekly newsletter and update on upcoming complimentary webinars.


If you have any comments or questions about this article, feel free to leave this below for me to answer personally.

Why Aqua Gear?

Reliable & Economical Water Filtration

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AquaGear® was founded by aerospace engineers with the goal of protecting people from waterborne illness. Aqua Gear has grown into the trusted brand for disaster preparedness and international travel.
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Importance of Staying Hydrated

Making up the majority of your total body mass, water is essential to many of the body’s most important functions. These include everything from the removal of toxins and waste from internal organs to blood-flow, cellular reproduction, and digestive function.
Staying appropriately hydrated allows your body to function in these capacities while reducing the stress and fatigue accompanying a dehydrated system.

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Emergency Preparedness

For Water after the Disaster

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In any disaster situation, it is essential to understand how clean water can be secured for you, your family, and your community.

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Our water purification products offer a long-lasting insurance policy against waterborne illness so that the user can focus on securing the second and third most important objectives in disaster preparedness 101: food and shelter.

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Environment

The True Cost of Bottled Water

Over 60 million plastic bottles are discarded to landfills daily in the United States alone. This is not to mention the actual resource cost used to manufacture and transport these plastic bottles from overseas.

Plastic, which is not bio-degradable, can take up to 1000 years before it disintegrates into a particulate plastic matter. In this stage of decomposition, plastic can mix with soil or water where it further breaks down and increases in toxicity.

It is then a danger to local wildlife that may unconsciously consume it, increasing in concentration as it passes up the food chain through a process referred to as biomagnification.

Recycle Your Water Filters

Aqua Gear encourages each of its customers to send any used water filters to its recycling facilities. Even though each Aqua Gear water filter can replace up to 800 plastic bottles, we do not want to see our water filters end up in landfills!


FAQ’s

How do I hold my bottle when I am drinking from the filter?

Hold the bottle upright (vertical), just like when you are drinking out of a straw in a glass. Keep in mind that the filter sits at the bottom of the bottle when attached to the stem.

Will hot liquids damage my water filter?

Yes. Hot water will damage the filter. Warm water will not cause any harm.

How do I use my extension straw?

In order to use your straw extension, just unthread your filter from the cap assembly and thread on the straw extension. It is that easy!

Do I need to flush or soak my filter before use?

No. All Revolve Water Filters are primed for use in manufacturing. They always arrive ready-to-go!
How often do I have to replace the filter?

As you reach the filtration capacity of your water filter, the water output, or flow, will gradually decrease and will become more difficult to drink thru. When this happens, it is time to replace your filter.

Do I need to clean my water filter?

No, there is no need to clean your filter. However, if you would like to wash your cap assembly, be sure to unscrew your filter from the cap assembly stem. We recommend hand-washing all plastic parts using warm, soapy water. No soap, baking soda, vinegar, or hot water should be applied to the filter itself.

Is there anything particular I should do before I store my filter for a period of time?

Your water filter can be stored indefinitely once it is thoroughly dried out. Be sure to shake out any excess water, and allow to dry overnight for 2-3 days.

What the Heck is in My Water?

by Glen Depke

Great question, what the heck is in your water?

Here’s a hint, it’s not good old H2O anymore.

Before I answer this, I would like to set up the behind the scenes on this article.

A recent client of mine is the motivation for this article. I have a client that I have been assisting for some time, fundamentals of health, emotional release, adrenal dysfunction as well as recognized gut pathogens. The funny thing though (not funny to her), is that her symptoms were actually worsening. This had both of us perplexed and likely I more perplexed than her. At least on my end, I see the protocols work with consistency with most of my clients. It is actually surprising to me when we work through the Depke Wellness protocols and progress is not outcome and even more surprising when new symptoms occur or if old symptoms worsen.

Well, this was the case with the particular client I am mentioning.

From here we needed to look deeper. We needed to find that hidden challenge and find this now. I suggest this urgency because you can see it on the face, feel it in the voice and energy of those at the end of their rope. A sort of desperation!

We discussed a few testing options based on some suspected challenges and decided to test for metal toxicity. To make the long story short, this person was shown to be toxic in arsenic and not surprisingly, all the symptoms of arsenic poisoning mirrored the symptoms she was feeling. Extreme fatigue, numbing and tingling in the extremities, loss of proper neurological sensation, pain and more…

The next step of course was to set up a proper detoxification protocol but also find the source of this arsenic toxicity. As you may suspect based on the focus of this article, the arsenic source was from contaminated water.

The sad thing is, this did not have to be a challenge at all.

There are more than enough ways to filter arsenic and so many other contaminates from a contaminated water source. Today’s article is not about water filtration systems, so I will simply share what I do to protect myself and my family.

In my house and our office, we use reverse-osmosis water filtration systems. When out of the home or office, it is very difficult to have confidence in your water source. You cannot, nor should you trust the water at most local eating establishments and the bottled water business is often a joke in itself. For those times when I am unsure of the quality of my water, I use the Aquagear portable water filtration system.

So what the heck is in your water?

Let’s look at the top culprits.
•    Bacteria
•    Viruses
•    Protozoa
•    Parasitic worms
•    Acids
•    Salts
•    Toxic metals (the challenge for the client mentioned above)
•    Oxygen demanding wastes
•    Nitrates and phosphates
•    Oils
•    Plastics
•    Pesticides
•    Water-soluble radioactive compounds
•    Chlorine
•    Fluoride

Any or all of these compounds can make you ill or in some cases lead to death.

In my opinion, the use of quality filtered water is a must. Some may feel that their local tap water is properly filtered and decontaminated. While this is often the case, you cannot put your trust there also. As an example back in 1993, an estimated 403,000 residents of the greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area became ill when an ineffective filtration process led to the inadequate removal of Cryptosporidium cysts in one of two municipal water treatment plants. This not only created some staggering levels of physical suffering for so many, it was estimated that the total cost of this outbreak was over $96 million dollars.

Shocking!

While this may all seem to be some grim news, let’s be real, our water quality is less than optimal but we can do something about it.

Since water is no longer just good old H2O, it is up to you to be proactive. Filter the water you drink in your home, workplace and have a portable system on hand when you are out and about. As mentioned earlier in this article, there are many filter systems available today. I use reverse-osmosis in my home and office and we use an Aquagear portable water filtration when we are out and about. We traveled recently and took our Aquagear with us. Saves us a lot of money in bottled water, saves our planet from further contamination of plastic sand provides an immeasurable level of peace of mind. Priceless!

Now you know, what the heck is in your water…

If you have any comments or questions, please post this below for me to address personally.

Fruit is Not Good for Me?

by Glen Depke

This is a tricky question that honestly, I am not afraid to ask. I see more and more clients use fruit as a constant quick fix, push detoxification too quickly and create challenges for their liver with something that should be very health for us.

That something is fruit...

I first want to share that quality fruit used properly in your diet is a very positive impact for most. Unfortunately, most do not get quality and consistently over use fruit in their diet.

Let's first discuss the "quick fixing" problem that I see all the time.

Most of us have a perception that fruit is very good for us, so we tend to use this on a regular basis all year and actually create an overuse. What often happens is we either make poor nutritional choices or even quality nutritional choices that are not right for our Nutritional ID. When this occurs, we do not pull the necessary nutrients from our foods which leaves us with an energy deficit. When the body is deficient in energy, there is a strong desire to fill this void. Due to the fact that most if not all if us have had sugar often in our lives, our bodies understand that sugar is a quick fix for energy. Since most are quick fixing often if not regularly, we are often over consuming fruit, challenging blood sugar, increasing insulin, leading to gout, raising triglycerides and storing body fat...all with something "good" for us. 

Yes, that something is often fruit. 

It is easy to understand why we would do this if we are eating like garbage, but what if you are eating very well by conventional standards? This is often due to the fact that we are not eating according to our bio-chemical individuality. This leads to a poor food to energy ration and ultimately the need to "quick fix."

Before I go on I want to mention, if you do not know your Nutritional ID, follow this link for your complementary assessment. 

How can fruit challenge the liver?

Fruit will contain high amounts of sugar varied by the fruit as well as how ripe the fruit actually is. This fruit sugar is called fructose. Since fructose gets shuttled to your liver, and if you consume high amounts of it, fructose ends up taxing and damaging your liver in the same way alcohol and other toxins do. In fact, fructose is virtually identical to alcohol with regards to the metabolic havoc it wreaks. 

Let me be clear that this is for those the over consume fruit. If you are like most that snack on fruit all day, that would be you.

Fruit and gout?

While most that think about gout focus on purine levels of proteins consumed, I would suggest that the larger problem is actually fructose. The link between fructose and uric acid is so strong that you can actually use your uric acid levels as a marker for fructose toxicity.  I would recommend everyone to have their uric acid level checked to find out how sensitive you are to fructose. As you know, two-thirds of the US population is overweight, and most of these people likely have uric acid levels well above 5.5. Many are even be closer to 10 or above. Measuring your uric acid levels is a very practical way to determine just how strict you need to be when it comes to your fructose consumption. As an example, if you're passionate about fruit and typically eat large amounts of it, but find out you have a uric acid level above 5 (or better yet, 4 if you're a man, and 3.5 if you're a woman), then you may want to consider lowering your fruit consumption until you've optimized your uric acid levels, to avoid harming your body.
You can refer to a recent blood chemistry profile to review your uric acid levels or thankfully you can test your uric acid levels at Walk In Labs for only $19.00 from virtually anywhere in the country.

How does fruit consumption push detoxification?

It is important to recognize that raw foods are used for cleansing and detoxification. Often when fruit is in high consumption and uric acids are up, this is pushing too great of a detoxification process. I will share that I am always careful with my clients to maintain a healthy and comfortable process and balance of detoxification and nourishment. Since most eat fruit raw and often over consume fruit, this can create too high of a detoxification to nourishment ratio.

So how much fruit sugar is actually in the fruit you consume?

Notice that the figures below are based on a one cup serving. 

• Grapes and strawberries are equivalent to 3 1/2 packets of sugar
• Apples 6 1/2 packets
• Pineapple 7 packets
• Oranges 7 1/2 packets
• Bananas 8 packets
• Grapes 10 1/2 packets

The other factor to address is quality. 

While this is a subject for another article in the future, I want to at least mention the importance of purchasing organic or locally grown fruit when available. If you must purchase conventionally grown, at least stay away for the highest pesticide toxicity fruits:

• Apples 
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Nectarines– imported
• Grapes – imported 
• Blueberries– domestic

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below and I will address this personally.