I'm two days away...

I am incredibly pumped because tomorrow I will load up with white clothes and head to Dallas for my first ever 5K race!! Why the white clothes you ask? Well it has something to do with neon colored powder...that's right, The COLOR RUN! It has been an interesting journey as it started out with friends my age and turned into girls that have recently come out of our youth group instead but they are a blast to be with and I'm super pumped!

May I just stop to ask, is it wrong that one of my first questions was "Can we find a cool cupcake shop while we are there?!"

Anyway we will talk of my cupcake issue later. We (and I say we because we are running as a team) started training back in February using the Hal Higdon's website. He provides training schedules and tips for any length and type of race! Wonderful site and dummy-proof! We started at 1.25 miles and worked our way up over two months to the full 3 miles and it felt great towards the end of our training to reflect back on my week and say proudly "I ran a total of 8 miles this week!"

I know for runners this is no big deal but for a beginner who hasn't run long distance since high school it made me feel so good and it is in the tiniest way becoming infectious! I feel better and have more energy. I feel motivated and have a goal to work towards. It has just been a wonderful experience overall.

And this weekend ends the journey. Well the first of many that is (wink). I've been pa-rousing through photo ideas and researching tips so the experience is enjoyable and I think I'm pretty prepared for a first timer anyways! If you have ever considered it or found yourself saying one day I want to don't wait until someday becomes no day. Just decide it's now or never - baby steps! Take a deep breath and sign up for one, as big or small as you want and go make yourself proud!

I'll be posting my "colorful" photos later for you to see!

Anti-Inflammatory Diet Part #4

So I just spent the time yesterday trying to sum up the diet and then I checked Dr. Perricone's blog (yes he has a blog too - click here if interested in it!)...And come to find out there had just been a post of the overview of the Acne Diet on there, and of course more professional sounding and easier to understand than me, so I decided to simply copy the entire post here for your reading! Enjoy!


TAKEN FROM DR. PERRICONE'S DAILY BLOG:

Acne Diet - More Than Skin Deep
Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 4:40:12 PM Editor

Think beautiful skin starts in a bottle? Think again. Beautiful skin starts in your kitchen and has everything to do with what you put into your body.
Your skin is a direct reflection of what’s happening digestively; I like to tell our clients to think of their skin as their intestines turned inside out. So when my clients come to me wanting clear skin yet are washing down their Doritos with Diet Coke, well…there’s work to be done in the education process.


A large part of our nutritional practice at the Flagship involves treating people with acne. And guess what? 90-95% of our clients with acne have either been on the Pill, on antibiotics, or some combination of both. This causes an overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria, and depletes the good bacteria present. And acne is the residual after-effect of this imbalance. The work we do to correct the imbalance is with a yeast-free, sugar-free diet rich in essential fatty acids and protein. This in effect will rebuild the digestive system and restore luminous, clear skin.


PRIMO PROTEINS
Protein helps repair the skin and supports liver detoxification and hormonal balance (another culprit of acne). The best choices include: wild Alaskan salmon and other cold-water fatty fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, Greek yogurt, whey protein, and grass-fed meats. Choose 2-4 ounces per meal.

SUITABLE STARCHES
Since carbohydrates have the greatest impact on blood sugar and inflammation, choose them wisely. Fruits and vegetables should be the base of your diet; you can incorporate ½ cup cooked of the following per day: barley, beans and legumes, brown rice, rolled or steel-cut oats, winter squash, sweet potato, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, and millet.


FABULOUS FATS
The right fats can literally make or break your health, and we all need them to survive. Go for avocados, raw nuts and seeds, nut butters and tahini, olives and olive oil, ground flaxseeds, raw coconut and coconut oil, and grape seed oil. They’ll correct dry chicken skin and regulate sebum production. Incorporate at least 2 tsp of fat per meal.


STEER CLEAR
…When you’re working hard to eat healthfully, the following can quickly undo all your efforts: white flour and sugar (pasta, bread, muffins, cake, and cookies—and no, whole wheat is not any better), fruit juices and dried fruits, aged cheeses, milk, soy, vinegar, alcohol, and mushrooms.
Cleaning up your act in the kitchen will ultimately help clear up your skin. Give your body 3-6 months for all the changes to take place. You’ll be glad you did!



Esther Blum,MS,RD,CDN,CNS
Registered Dietitian
NV Perricone, MD
Flagship791
Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10065
212.734.2537

Acne & Aging

If you currently struggle, or have ever struggled with, acne or signs of aging then you will WANT to read this!

When I was a Senior in High School I had already gone through a number of acne treatments and was running out of options! I had tried over-the-counter products, tried several topical treatments prescribed by my dermatologist and even gone through the UV-ray treatments driving an hour one way two times a week for them! I was exhausted and about to give up hope. My mom remembers praying to find a solution and when she was in a bookstore saw this book called the Anti-Acne Diet by Dr. Perricone.

Long story short she asked if I was willing to try a three-tiered program that included diet, supplements, and topical treatments. Now before you go whoa that's a lot of stuff - you can do it with the diet alone!! JUST by changing what you eat can drastically change the effects of acne AND aging. If you want overall better health and want to make sure it stays away the supplements (simply vitamins and minerals) and his specially formulated topical treatments which ensure it follows the guidelines of his study.

So what are the guidelines? NOTHING that is pro-inflammatory! Through his research he found that acne is actually a Systemic Inflammatory Disease. Now I will keep it in layman's terms that it simply means there are certain foods, creams, cosmetics, etc. that will cause inflammation at the cellular level. This is what actually starts the chain reaction that leads to that zit on your face. It's NOT oily skin although yes that will contribute to acne...it's NOT chocolate, lol...although yes the sugar IN chocolate is! Now yes stress, hormones, oily skin and all these things contribute to acne and aging but are not the root cause which means even when those other things still exist if you are on an Anti-Inflammatory Diet and using cosmetics that don't have pro-inflammatory components than you can keep your acne flare-ups away! Good news huh?

I wrote all that to say I went on the entire three-tiered system my senior year and by Senior Picture time was acne free and had more energy than I had ever had in my life! I felt the best I've ever felt and ever since going off of that diet have wished I could somehow get back on it! Well I was blessed that during pregnancy my hormones blessed me with acne free skin. Now with my daughter turning two a couple months ago suddenly here comes my acne again after almost four years of not dealing with it! As soon as I got a few really bad cases I asked my mom to mail me the book.

I have officially been on the Anti-Acne diet since Thursday, March 19th and my face is already almost completely clear - and may I add I am ONLY doing the diet and taking TWO of the seven supplements! I'm regaining energy that I had been depleted of lately and am starting to think more clearly and be more efficient in my work! I'm not kidding! I HAD to tell my readers about this because it is for aging too - and all the bad things that come with it (cancer, Alzheimer's, arthritis, WRINKLES, etc...)

I will be doing a series on this Anti-Inflammatory Diet and have also linked the title to Dr. Perricone's website if you would like more information right away!