Superior Self - Blog

What's in My Food??

6/21/2021

There are so many words and images on our packaged food items that it can tend to confuse us or entice us. The front of packaged foods are the marketing heart of the food industry. Bold words like HEART HEALTHY, WHOLE GRAINS, ALL NATURAL, and NO ADDED SUGAR may not tell the whole story of what is in the product. To understand the whole story of what is in the food we need to turn the package over and read the back.

On the back we find the nutritional information and the ingredients list. In the ingredients list, the food companies must list the ingredients in the order which has the most to least. For example, if we have dates as the first ingredient in the list, there are more dates than anything else in the product. Does that mean we have a healthy low sugar option? Perhaps not. Dates are a naturally sweet fruit and even if the front of the box says NO SUGAR ADDED, ALL NATURAL, there will be a lot of natural sugar in the food. If one is monitoring their sugar intake overall, it may be something to note, especially if diabetic or on a wellness protocol that encourages one to lessen their overall sugar intake. In the nutrition list, there will be the portion recommended. That can be deceiving as well. Do we really eat a 1/3 cup of granola? I haven't met anyone who has. So the calorie and nutrition data is for smaller portions than folks really consume. Added sugars are listed, but it also shows total sugars, natural or not. Be mindful of that.

If you cannot pronounce the words on the ingredients list, it may be chemical, artificial, additives, and/or preservatives. With the world wide web in your hand, look up the item on your smart phone. Knowledge is power.

Be your best, dear readers.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

Exponential Energy

6/14/2021

I am studying a certification course for Vinyasa Yoga. During my hours of reading, lectures, and self inquiry, a lot of deep understanding of energy is seeping into me. The ancient texts reflect that the body moves in certain ways to conserve energy, expand energy, gain energy, and then to be still with our energy observed within ourselves. It is in the stillness that we can grow and assimilate all of the five senses of experience into our deepest selves. I call it my soul spot. Throughout the process of taking care of ourselves through movement and non-movement, we can then share energy.

Let us look at this from a plant perspective. When we grow a plant from a seed or observe plants in nature, it is obvious that plants seamlessly receive the sun's light energy, the water's replenishment, air, space to grow, and the earth's mineral nutrients. In nature, some plants take care of the other types of plants naturally. We find certain plants naturally growing together. They may provide shade, share information with their roots, and share water if one has too much or too little. In fact, using the underground fungal network, plants talk to each other. They can donate carbon to one another and even send warnings of chemical or insect invasion though the fungal "web." Do plants think with their ego? No. It is part of their DNA to care and share energy.

We can learn from nature and really take deep care of ourselves and others in the same way. Humans also need light energy from the sun, water, nutrients from the earth, air, and space to grow and to gain energy. Absorbing all we need is our birthright. When we take care of ourselves with movement, fuel, water, rest, and relationships, we gain energy. When we learn to move or sit in silence, we grow that energy even more.

When we serve others without resentment, we have more and more energy to give freely. When we take deep care of ourselves, we gain exponential energy to share even more. That is the work of love. How can a mother love her child so much that she just gave birth to and really doesn't even know all that well? That is the work of love. Then when a mother gives birth to her second child, the love grows exponentially, without even thinking of it, really. Where the energy goes, the love flows. That is exponential energy in action!

Blessings,
KJ Landis

Unconditional Love

6/7/2021

So many of us love and are loved by others. We usually seek idolization in a sense, meaning we want to be upheld with the utmost respect, care, consideration, kindness, and generosity of spirit. Can this be extended to unconditional love? What is unconditional love? Is it similar to universal love and compassion?

I may have some personal insight from recent events in my life. Last week our family adopted 2 kittens, aged 10 weeks old. They were a little shy for the first few minutes in the living room. Then they settled quite comfortably on my daughter's lap, where they relaxed for hours as she stroked them lovingly. Within a day we witnessed unconditional love. Even though the kittens play fight, and discover their fears and fearlessness, they love each other and us unconditionally. They accept us as we are. We also accept them with their messes, meows, and desires without any expectations. This is unconditional love.

We humans can learn so much from our animal kingdom. What if we treated everyone with the same demeanor with which we treat our beloved pets? Wouldn't that be wonderful? Is this the unconditional love we so desire? If we give and get this from our pets, what would our world look like if we extended the behavior towards all creatures, big and small?

Be loving, my friends.

In Gratitude,
KJ Landis

Why I LOOOVE Yoga

5/31/2021

Yoga is an ancient art of movement that is not quite as old as caveman activities, but very valuable for the body, mind, and spirit. I am a huge fan of yoga, especially hot yoga.

Yoga practices go back more than 5000 years. It originated in India. The word yoga means to join together the mind and the body. It naturally incorporates breathing, exercise, and meditation. There are thousands of poses that we hold for a short time. Physical yoga is meant to be a system of getting us ready for Yoga, with a capital Y. When we get the body ready to settle down through movement we are preparing for sitting and meditating for a while. Yoga with a capital Y is meditation.

My favorite type of yoga is Hot Yoga, 26/2 series. It has been my favorite style to practice for 9 years. Hot yoga is a guided 90 minute class in a room that is heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity at 46%. There are 26 poses repeated twice and two breathing exercises. I sweat profusely during class, and usually I drink at least half of a gallon of water during practice.

My first class went something like this: I walked into the studio and it was eerily quiet. I thought it was an exercise class, not a meditation center! Then I went into the yoga room itself. I almost passed out from the stinky smell of sweaty feet and socks. There are no shoes or socks allowed in the area where yoga was practiced, so I knew it came from the buckets of sweat pouring off of the people practicing. Maybe it was the carpet absorbing the funk for years. When I asked about the odor, the staff said they steam cleaned the carpet daily. It is part of the culture of the environment, I guess. The room was damn hot too. The more people that showed up, the higher the room temperature got. It got up past 112 degrees.

I loved the fact that I was finally warm all over, from the inside out, from my bones to my skin! (After losing my chunk of weight, I was cold so often that I bought the biggest, baddest electric blanket I could find.) The class was hard and I perspired more than I had ever done before, with even more sweat dripping off of me than when I ran a marathon! Then, after my first class, I needed a nap.

Something clicked in me. A new challenge! I was not going to let the stink and exhaustion win. I went back a few times that week. After about three weeks the odor magically didn’t exist in my senses anymore, and exhaustion transformed into exhilaration. I am excited each night now to prepare my yoga bag for the next morning. On occasion, when I sleep only a few hours a night due to scheduling challenges, it is a complete deep sleep, and it leaves me satisfied and ready for more yoga.

The poses are meant for beginners. Every class is vocally instructed in the exact same way. It is up to practitioner to decide how far to push themselves. One gets more advanced by pushing deeper into the poses. Muscles are held tightly and blood flow is constricted, followed by release, and then fresh oxygenated blood travels rapidly to that area of the body. This is a high intensity cardio workout as well because when we grip with all of our God given power to our maximum capacity, the heart rate goes way up.

Stomach, stomach, stomach. The teachers emphasize tightening the abdomen throughout almost every pose to protect the lower back. This is beneficial to my body image and self esteem as well because the results are fabulous looking abdominal muscles. Strong abdominal muscles support the back muscles. I have recently seen tiny bulges of muscle in between my larger muscles, all over my body. (I have muscles. Even my muscles have muscles!) Hot yoga definitely supports the parts of our physique that some sports and exercise routines overlook. I’m over a half century old and I am as flexible as I was when I was in my late teens. Hot yoga never gets easier either! Every class is different depending upon my food and water intake, my mood, my quality of sleep, my work effort, etc. I keep waiting for it to become a breeze, yet it never does.

Some things I have noticed after more than 9 years of hot yoga are: my sweat does not sting my eyes anymore, I rarely catch a cold or flu, I heal rather rapidly from cuts and bruises, my menstruation does not provide me with mood swings, and I have a complete, restful sleep. I wake up thoroughly refreshed and ready to take on the day.

Hot yoga is a part of my regime, but not my complete routine. It prepares me for walking, spinning, weight training, hiking, and serving food and beverages as a server for six to eight hours in the evenings.

I heartily encourage everybody to search and experiment with many forms of physical movement. See what makes you happy for any amount of time each day. A happy exerciser will spill some of that happiness onto someone else. That contagious energy is a gift to somebody who may have just needed a jolt of love at that very moment. If you are not a loner by nature (and we humans are social creatures...), enlist others to join you. There is power in numbers and a sense of accountability too. Making plans with somebody else on their road to health and fitness may just push you to suit up and show up. That is one step closer to your superior self.

BIG LOVE,
KJ Landis

Fun Movement!

5/24/2021

Traditional exercise programs of the past fifty years varied immensely. Some schools of thought were focused on long bouts of cardiovascular exercise. Other programs were geared toward weight training only. Women were traditionally advised to do “aerobics” and “calisthenics.” If we go waaaaay back, exercise was more functional. We gardened, hunted, gathered, walked, and played. We squatted while cooking and cleaning. We moved heavy things and sprinted when being chased or chasing something. These types of activities used more than one body part at a time. Survival was a workout in itself!

The current trend is to go back to functional movement exercise in order to live to a ripe old age without aches and pains. High intensity interval training uses bursts of speed and strength followed by moderate exertion or a short period of rest. It is very useful, efficient, and takes less time than chronic cardio or hours in the gym. Some examples of this are cross fit training, TRX training, capoeira, sprints followed by walking, etc. There are many opportunities to explore the so-called “new” workouts on the internet. See what appeals to you, and go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything good to gain. If you try some new exercise program and it turns out not to be fun for you, I suggest that you try something different. The key word is FUN! If something feels fun, there is a higher motivation to stick with it. If you see results in your body image, or results are progressing in your strength and stamina, this is all positive reinforcement of your health getting better and better. That can be extremely motivating to us, and we will probably go back to that activity go back one more time (or more).

When considering the types of movement that hunter-gatherers participated in, we must acknowledge that they had calm times of sitting around their shelters, stretching or working on weaving, skinning animals, and doing domestic type activities. They also foraged for food by walking hours a day.

In today’s world, we have replaced walking all day looking for food with creating extra busy lives. We keep moving by over scheduling. We drive to most activities and usually sit at each event. Most desk jobs are done sitting. We look for things to do instead of looking for food. We look for money, relationships, clearances, clubs, and hobbies. Usually this disappoints us, so we keep moving on to other things to keep us busy. If we change this business of busyness, eat nourishing foods, and move around more, we can be happy with a less packed schedule.

Think about it.
Love,
KJ Landis

Reaching Waaay Back to the Future

5/16/2021

If we reach back far enough in human history, we find that human beings only began eating grains about ten thousand years ago, with the onset of the agricultural revolution. The population did not eat grains every day either, just like they didn’t eat fruit every day. They ate these things when they were available, when they grew in their area under ideal climate conditions, and when they were ripe enough to fall or be picked without too much effort. In grains’ case, they had to learn to soak and then grind them, before cooking over a fire. Only then, the grain was edible. Eating in a modern world with the principles of those who ate millions of years before grain was discovered and consumed is called many things. Some call it Paleolithic eating. Others refer to it as Primal eating. I have heard it named the Ancestral diet, the Evolutionary diet, and so on.

Fundamentally, if we eat as our forefathers did for millions of years before grains were consumed, we can see great improvements upon the Standard American Diet. Then we can see marked improvements in whole person care, not sick care. Taking the responsibility into our own hands instead of relying on doctors and pills to “fix” us is a large and empowering task. We are up to the challenge if we have the correct information and tools.

Many times when I am coaching people or when I am at the grocery store helping people learn how to shop to nourish the whole person, they will reach for the same edible food-like products they have put into their baskets for years. My eyebrows go up, my eyes widen in question, and this is usually the response given to me: “It’s low fat, it’s whole wheat, it’s got vitamins and minerals added, it has the American Heart Association logo stamped on it!” My favorite answer I heard is, “It’s not for me, it’s for the kids...”

You are not married to your past! Those past choices are what brought us to this disarrayed state of health in the first place. I am not saying that we are bad or guilty of wrong-doing. I’m saying that we have unfortunately been fooled for a long time by the mainstream food manufacturers and media dollars. Now we can choose differently. Now we have scientific research and success stories of friends and loved ones to provide both proof and anecdotal evidence that clean and green foods are the way to go. Create a new story.

Do I want my children to suffer the ups and downs of body weight and fat gain? Do I want my children to ride the emotional roller coaster of health drama and body image issues? No! So many of us have to come to this point in our lives where we have psychological damage caused by weight gain, as well as the mental and physical stress the accompanying chronic conditions create. I say it is time to think differently about body image. Create a new story for yourself and the generations to follow. One can be large and very fit and healthy. One can be lean and not fit and healthy.

I encourage you to reach waaaay back to our ancient people’s way of eating to ensure a brighter food and health future. Now is the time to go back to the beginning. We already have many convenience foods that are healthy for us when we are on the run. If you don’t have time to cook or clean your foods properly, there are ready-washed-and-cut vegetables and fruits at grocery stores and convenience markets. Single serve packets of raw nuts and seeds are available for reasonable prices. Even dollar store have healthy options. Read your labels carefully though. Use the modern conveniences without sacrificing your principles of health values and time values. It is doable. You got this!

With Gratitude,
KJ Landis
Visit me on the SuperiorSelf channel on YouTube

Impulse Eating

5/10/2021

Even the most healthy folks will relax and have a treat now and then. One who has food sensitivities after eating a more healthy lifestyle and avoiding certain foods for their health will have an impulse moment. Impulse eating is a normal part of our human experience. It is also a normal part of the human experience to judge ourselves afterwards. Let us first look at the difference between food sensitivities and food allergies.

Food sensitivities and food allergies are not the same thing. Allergies occur in the blood stream. Sensitivities occur in the stomach or intestines. Allergies can have a dramatic reaction that can sometimes be dangerous or even deadly. Sensitivities are usually milder and can resemble “normal” aches, pains, acne, flu, or cold symptoms. If I suffered from a rash, stomach pain, diarrhea, or back pain right after ingesting a particular food that I could identify, I would avoid it for a while. Then to make certain that the food in question was or was not the culprit, I would try it again. Sometimes our food sensitivities change over time and we can eat what previously made us feel discomfort.

Eating food that causes me headaches or stomach pain will make me eat it less often. It definitely has an impact on me, but I will indulge once in a while even though I know the discomfort that comes later. Humans naturally attempt to avoid pain. I will have "forbidden foods" now and then, fully knowing the consequences.

Let us now change the thought process which follows many of us after impulse eating. Focus on remembering that you are a spirit on a human journey and you choose to have this human challenge of optimum health and wellness. Love yourself a little more each day, each time that you reach for something nutritious and life giving. Moving closer to your true self is the real you, moving in a positive direction. I encourage you to love yourself a little bit more rather than beat yourself up mentally or feel guilty if you eat something that resulted in a gain or a pain. It is just information, not a judgement call. Of course you can have a treat now and again! Stop the insanity. Breathe slowly and say, "Food doesn't define me as a good or bad human."

Positive self talk on a daily basis affirms our strength and power from the inside out. It is a systematic way to successfully change one’s thoughts and habits for life. Our way of viewing who we truly are will improve.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

Their Stories, Part 3

5/3/2021

This is the 3rd in the series about folks who I have coached in health and wellness. Once we feel good inside, it reflects upon our whole lives, in many aspects.

Wendy~
Wendy works for a self help and transformative company. They host intensive, weeklong therapy sessions where true personal change can happen. At first I thought she may have tried to reach the wrong person. How could I help her? She has coaching available at her fingertips.

She asked me to coach her on a 26 day round of HCG because she heard my story and advice when I was a guest on the HCG Body for Life podcast. Wendy said she had been trying to reach me for a long time. She felt my messages of continued health and maintenance had concrete advice and spiritual wisdoms that resonated with her. She had done HCG before and had cheated every few days. She had gained and lost the same 10 to 15 pounds a few times. Her desire was to stop the yoyo dieting and finally be in a place where she could not obsess about her size. She wanted to breathe and be free!

Our work together has been very honest and fulfilling for both of us. She realized that her cheating while on the HCG was a reflection of her bucking authority. What a real breakthrough. Wendy is inspiring to me because she never gives up. The striving to better her life, to let go of the past, and to follow new rules that she makes herself is uncharted territory. Go Wendy, go!

Ricky~
Ricky was one of my biggest skeptics. He came to one of my wellness workshops in the middle of the nine week series. He was 30 pounds overweight. He had severe allergies and asthma his entire adult life. The allergies and asthma kept him from moving around very often or very well. Regular exercise was not available to him in his current condition. Ricky had constant constipation for ten years, caused by his medications.

He was jaded to say the least, but he stayed with me for the entire workshop, asked questions and proceeded to promise to do the first step, the gallon of water a day for a month (he chose the slower promises to himself rather than the weekly shifts, which is completely fine with me).

Ricky is in his 60s and is a talented painter and comedian. He made jokes about the Guide to Wellness from Within that got the whole room rolling with laughter, but I was well aware that his humor was an attempt to cover up his fear.

Fast forward thirty days: Ricky has lost 10 pounds without changing anything else in his diet. He is more energized to complete his honey-do list that the family gives him. He is clearer with his thoughts, and his relationships with his sons have improved. His battle with constipation is over. Ricky walks an hour every day around his neighborhood. He now is my biggest supporter, and is ready to take on step two, removing wheat and gluten from his diet. He is excited to see where the steps take him, now that he has seen proof that it works!

Vivian~
Vivian and I met in a silent, sweaty hot yoga class. She chatted with me after class, when usually people crawl to the door like limp rags. At age 83, Vivian had been doing hot yoga for years, took an eight year break, and then came back. She still worked, drove, and took care of a house with an extensive garden. Vivian and I talked every few days. One morning she shared that she had type 2 diabetes. She was shaped like an apple but not fat by any means. I was surprised that she had diabetes. Vivian asked me to meet her at the library and walk her through the Guide to Wellness from Within. We met and discussed the steps to help shift her eating and drinking, but she was already doing most of the program on her own volition. There were only a few corrections to be tackled. She took notes and took me seriously.

I checked in with her every few weeks and we have had some great conversations full of light and laughter. There is a great mutual respect there. I respect Vivian because of her agility and her ability to be fully active and vibrant as a senior in today’s world. Many folks her age are slowing way down. She respects me because I was willing to help her and take time away from my children and jobs in order to give her the tools that she could use practically to change her health for the better.

I’m beaming with pride at her progress. Vivian has reported to me that after just three months of using the guide, her doctor told her that her diabetes is completely gone. She continues to test her blood sugar levels with a glucose monitor and is sweetly satisfied that her numbers are now in the optimum range every day. Vivian is an inspiration to the rest of the world because she shows us that you can teach an old dog new tricks after all. It is never too late, especially when the results are proof that when one does the work, the work leads to measurable success.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

Their Stories, Part 2

4/26/2021

This week I continue the journey of sharing others' stories who have given me permission to do so.

Jessica~
Jessica had been withholding patience, respect, attention, and support from her own body for a long time. She loved herself, but did not know how to physically show that love to herself. She tried different cleanses and juicing techniques over the years, but seemed to bounce back into processed foods and sugary alcoholic beverages soon after.

Stress reared its head from a very young age. She dealt with the family and home stress through episodes of bulimia. The same thirty pounds came and went numerous times. In her head, she knew what to do to correct the problem. Making the brain-heart-body connection daily was an overwhelming challenge. Jessica asked me to coach her in a 43 day round of HCG.

During the protocol, Jessica learned what foods her body needed more of and what foods her body no longer craved. She gave up alcohol completely. Her resistance to exercise fell by the wayside. Jessica has actively been hiking, taking Pilates classes, and experimenting in new and unusual fitness classes. There is a renewed self confidence and self trust. She has said YES to herself and YES to life.

Danny~
Danny is a gifted massage therapist. He is intuitive in his healing and closes his eyes when he massages clients. When I first started going to him for my own massage needs, I was in the first thirty days of my HCG protocol. He watched me melt right before his eyes in the months that followed.

Over the years we have talked deeply about nutrition, fitness, and life goals. Eventually Danny asked me to guide him on his own Wellness From Within journey. Witnessing my transformation first hand motivated him to do something about his obesity.

The first week I took him shopping at an inexpensive produce market and a high end organic market. We swapped out his oils and nuts. We bought raw cheeses and healthy grain free snacks. Then I walked him through the Guide to Wellness from Within..

I feel like a proud mama! It takes a lot of courage to own up to yourself and to someone else that you know what you have been doing thus far has not been in your best health interest. Danny has been consistent in drinking a gallon of water a day. Danny fell off the wagon a couple of times in the ten weeks. After just two bites of pizza, he called me on the phone and shared that those two bites actually made him sick to his stomach. For the first time in his life he was tuning in to what his body asked for. It did not ask for pizza.

I am so happy that he entrusted me with his body goals and his future health. Danny tells me that he feels so much better physically these days. His struggle is with the rest of his family. They say they want to eat real, whole foods along with him, but they consistently buy packaged and processed foods. They overfill the pantry, cupboards, counters, and top of the refrigerator with temptations that Danny must resist. Every day is a battle, but he is winning the war.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

Their Stories

4/19/2021

I love to tell stories. I feel like stories help us to understand the meanings behind the points we are trying to get across to someone. When you read the following stories of my clients, friends, and family, see if any of their predicaments are similar to yours. If you can easily imagine yourself in their position, acknowledge it, and figure out how you would react. Would it be similar or different after recognizing that your feet could easily be in their shoes?

Most of my clients become my friends. I’m not only their mentor and coach, but also their confidante. We are intertwined in so many areas of each others’ lives. They are sharing their mental, physical, and spiritual struggles with me. I share my personal weaknesses with them too, in order to make them see that their crutches are not theirs alone. We are stronger together.

Emma~
Emma had a desire to stop eating junk foods and carbohydrates. She didn’t know anything about grains and sugars making her overweight and bloated. She just knew what she liked and had a cultural connection to many unhealthy foods. Family traditions are important to all of us. Unfortunately, for many of us, that revolves around foods that are high in processed oils, starches, and sugars. Emma had a love affair with diet cola too.

One day, she posted on a social network that she was a piggy because she ate pizza and garlic bread at the same meal. She insulted herself on the internet in front of the whole world! She deserved self love, not self loathing. I saw that post as a cry for help. I offered my guidance, and it was accepted. She promised to abide by new criteria for eating. For thirty days Emma did not consume bad dietary fats, sugar, artificial sweeteners, or grains. She increased her water to a gallon a day. She reported to me a month later that she had lost weight and her energy was renewed. Her soda consumption remained slim to none. Her family and friends noticed something shiny, sparkly, and different about her. I called it her superior self coming out of the shadows. Recently she has embarked upon green vegetable juicing as a way to increase micronutrients in her diet. Bravo!

Arthur~
Arthur is a devout Christian. He told me that one day God and Jesus helped him give up alcohol, drugs, and homelessness, cold turkey. I saw him struggle with sweets whenever our paths would intersect. One day I mustered up the courage to ask him why he could give up drugs and alcohol with the Lord’s assistance, but cave in to sugar and refined carbohydrates. I asked him to pray just as deeply for help in this area.

Soon after, he and his wife watched the documentary film featuring Joe Cross. It is called FAT, SICK, AND NEARLY DEAD. It chronicles a journey of an ill, overweight, Australian executive through his 60 day green juice fast. Joe’s illnesses cleared up, and he lost 100 pounds during the process. The film had an emotional impact on Arthur. He told me afterwards that he and his wife were planning on juicing with vegetables as a meal replacement for one meal a day. After that commitment felt comfortable, Arthur moved to two meals a day. He also increased his water tremendously. Whenever he sees me, he rushes to get a glass of water. I remind him that water intake is of the utmost importance when changing to a healthier lifestyle.

Arthur is certainly on his way. He falls off the food wagon from time to time, but we are all human. He stands up, dusts himself off, and walks tall and proud towards his healthier future.

Food addiction is not like alcohol and drug addiction. When we give up drugs and alcohol, the goal is to give it up completely. If we give up food completely, we perish and die. I believe this makes it even more difficult to evolve into superior habits with food. That is why I give kudos, huge congratulations, honor, and respect to those who finally do develop consistent eating habits that feed their brains, bodies, and spirits.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

More Q & A with KJ Landis

4/12/2021

Q: How have the nuclear disaster in Japan and pollution in general affected our seafood and fish supply? Isn’t it too risky to eat fish?

A: All living things have exposure to and accumulation of toxins from the environment. We are a product of our modern world. The longer an animal is alive, the longer amount of time one has to accumulate the toxins. The larger the animal, the more pollution one absorbs. Research shows that there are no serious poisons we should be overly concerned with. As a result of the nuclear disaster, Japan now has a stricter guideline than the world has ever had, ever, as far as radioactivity and metal toxicity in the seafood and fish supply.

We humans are very resilient. Fish and seafood are nutrient rich and healthy, especially if they are not fed grains on a fish farm. Smaller fish are less likely to have metals and toxicity in them compared to larger species. Bottom dwellers and bi-valve seafood like clams, oysters, mussels, etc. are extremely rich in zinc and other minerals that our body needs. Shrimp shells and fish bones are calcium rich, if you can stomach them. I love collecting the kids’ shrimp shells when we go out to eat, and hoard them for myself!

Q: What is GMO? What is GEO?

A: Genetically modified organisms are nicknamed GMO. It usually means crops that have been made resistant to pesticides. So when we spray the crops, the vegetables, fruits, and grains will grow while the pesty insects are killed.

Genetically engineered organisms are nicknamed GEO. It usually means foods that are engineered to be a new kind of food. An example of this is a pluot. It is a plum and an apricot cross bred to make a new fruit with flavors of both original fruits. When deciding what type of produce to buy, we must consider the earth’s environment and ways to sustain our Mother Earth. Usually non-GMO crops will be grown in more nutrient dense soil, but that is not always the case. That may result in more nutrient rich produce.

One problem in the United States with GMO foods is that there are no labeling laws for GMO crops. If an item at the grocery store specifically says non-GMO, then we can reasonably think that it is true. Other than that, there are no guarantees. Some organic crops have become GMO crops because of cross pollination in the air. If organic farms are near other farms that grow GMO crops, there is a chance they will become pollinated with GMO pollen.

Knowledge is power. Here is a list of the most common GMO crops in the USA:

soy
corn
wheat
alfalfa
papaya
canola (rapeseed)
cotton
sugar beets
zucchini
yellow squash

Recently I received a letter in the mail from my health provider. It stated that we should stay away from GMO foods. It encouraged people to stay away from GMO foods because the long term effects have not been studied yet. Eliminating those foods from our diet can resolve aches and pains associated with inflammation. These are the most common types of complaints at the doctors’ offices.

There are many more questions and answers than I could possibly include here. Please view my website, blog, YouTube channel, and Facebook page for weekly updates on queries. As you go through your journey to a happier and healthier version of yourself, do not hesitate to ask questions and seek out the answers. Do not allow the questions to keep piling up in your head to the point where you can’t move forward until you have your questions answered. Questions will continuously pop up our whole lives. That is the fabulous nature of the brilliant human mind!

Blessings,
KJ Landis

Q and A with KJ Landis

3/25/2021

Folks often ask me questions by email or in person after reading my website. The internet is full of answers, but sometimes the science changes, and so must we adapt to new information Here are some of the questions I received and researched diligently over the years to answer to the best of my ability. I am here to help you in your wellness journey.

Q: I thought I was the fittest and most committed one in the gym. Then this teeny, tiny, totally ripped woman walked into the room, and my self esteem plummeted. What gives?

A: This is a classic case of doing your best versus being the best. Showing up and working mind, body, and spirit toward your health and healing goals are huge steps to undertake. You are here and doing your best. You are reading this book for a reason. Honestly looking at yourself, the journey, and the transformation occurring right now is what counts. You are doing your best. Say this ten times and be happy where you are right now. I guarantee there will always be someone leaner and fitter than you. I also guarantee there will always be someone larger and less fit than you. That larger person may have felt defeated in the same way you did when she or he walked into the room. The smaller and fitter woman or man may have been you six months ago. We cannot figure out everybody else’s pathway to here and now, so just focus on you. Do you. Be you.

Q: There are so many fat burners out there. How do I know which ones really work?

A: After spending lots of money on fat burners purchased at the local pharmacy or health food store with no results except very expensive pee, I decided to use pharmaceutical grade fat burners with no fillers or binders. I use gelatin capsules that do not contain soy. After losing fat and weight, I reduced my collection to three that seemed to have the best effects on me. I take cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and carnitine tartrate. Two out of the three are food based so they are more bioavailable than synthetic fat burners.

Carnitine tartrate powder is an amino acid that supports fat burning and energy levels. Cinnamon regulates blood sugars throughout the day and reduces sugar cravings because there are less dips in energy. Cayenne pepper increases the heat in the body and revs up metabolism. The three fat burners together can lower cholesterol, balance sugar levels in the blood, and improve circulation. I stopped taking anything else because when I reduced my supplements, these were the deciding factors in my stabilization of weight and mood. When I experimented by taking away the synthetic fat burners, there was no difference in my health or my perception of my health. Again, read the labels. Products with less fillers and binders are better for us, and will be better absorbed by the body.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

Why Protein is Important

3/25/2021

Let's have a short discussion about protein and why it is an important part of our eating lifestyle. Proteins are tied into fats and probiotics, depending upon where they are sourced from.

Protein primarily feeds the muscle tissue, aids in repair and growth of the muscle tissue, and assists in the body’s physical performance. When the protein leaves the stomach, it has been broken down into amino acids and carries oxygen throughout the body. We rely on food for our nine essential amino acids. Those are the ones our bodies cannot manufacture on its own. Our bodies do have the capabilities to produce other amino acids without getting them from food.

It takes longer for the body to break down protein than sugars or carbohydrates, so protein keeps us fuller for a longer period of time. Protein uses up more energy in the digestion process too. Therefore, we burn more calories just by eating protein calories! Fat, however, keeps us fuller the longest of the three macronutrients; fat, carbohydrates, and protein.

I like more bang for my buck, so to speak. I like the most protein grams per portion of food. If it is a low fat option of a high protein source, I feel free to add a healthy fat to the meal.

My favorite sources of whole food protein are wild caught fish and seafood, alligator, pastured chicken, and pastured eggs. My favorite supplemental foods for protein are raw dairy foods, Quest protein bars, organic gelatin powder, plain, nonfat Greek yogurt, 100 % egg protein powder, Pure Protein brand (35 gram) vanilla shake, raw nuts, seeds, and coconut. Vegetables have protein too, research the highest protein sources on the web for a good variety of vegetables with protein. Remember, variety is key!

I don’t include beans in my diet because they take a lot of soaking and preparing for us to be able to digest them properly. They have way too much gas producing properties for me, and the carbohydrate load is way higher than the well advertised protein portion of beans. Then we have to look at the bioavailability of the human body to absorb the protein from beans. Some are better than others, but the body is trying to reject the bean in some way in order to cause such digestive distress (gas, bloating, diarrhea, etc.).

Notice the division between whole food proteins and supplemental proteins. One group is perfect for on-the-go days, and the other takes care and preparation. Of course the leftovers become the next day’s on-the-run, grab-and-go food! It is a combination of the proteins, fats, vegetables, and fruits that work in beautiful symbiosis creating optimum health. Also note that some foods overlap into more than one nutrient area. A superior health leads to superior self, in more ways than one. Your radiant energy will emerge, and others will benefit from that energy. It is inevitable. The math with love and energy doesn’t always make common sense. The more love and energy I feel, the more love and energy I have to give. And when I give it away, there’s no subtraction of love and energy. I just keep gaining more! You will too.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

Are You at War with Yourself?

3/21/2021

We are not meant to be at war with ourselves, especially not over food. When we give in to spontaneous temptation unconsciously, we are giving our power away. While on any protocol that enhances our health and power, if we suddenly say, “Screw it!” and stuff the highly processed chocolate chip muffin in our mouths, we have just given our power to that muffin. Then the muffin sits in our stomachs, we feel guilty, and maybe not so energized. Then the muffin makes its way through our digestive system and we use the restroom. Literally and figuratively, we have turned our power to crap and flushed it down the toilet. Take your power back.

The answers won’t be found in yet another new “clinically proven” magic diet pill or potion. The answers lie in your own head, heart, and hands. Take action for yourself. Research, read, and ask questions of the experts in this field. If we realistically and honestly take care of ourselves, we have the opportunity to take even greater care of our children. If we are not jumping in to our best life possible, we may not even be around or capable of caring for our next generation. I know I sound like a commercial and it seems a little cliché. I feel your heads nodding in agreement, while at the same time, slightly resistant to drastic change. I was in your shoes a few short years ago. I was trying to juggle two jobs, two kids, an insane workout schedule, friends, family, and a husband. I did not have time for me. I did not have time or money to cook clean and green, read labels, and prepare Paleo convenience foods.

So it is basically about prioritizing. Do you love yourself? Do you love yourself enough to streamline the excess stuff in your life so that you may be exuberant and full of the extra energy that the streamlining produces? The money for clean and green foods comes when we stop purchasing grains, sugars, and packaged processed foods. The money will come when we stop buying very expensive baby gifts when we know the baby prefers the pretty wrapping paper and bow the gift arrived in. The money will come when we don’t have to take the kids to the doctor for yet another cold, flu, or allergic reaction, probably caused by undiagnosed food sensitivities. Then, with that extra time away from the doctor’s office, we can go to the park and play with our children because we have time, money, and energy! Being energized and having fun play dates with my kids makes me happy. Having hiking and running dates with friends on my days off have replaced cocktails and all-you-can-eat pasta at the Italian eateries (before noon, at that!). Move more, lift heavy things, play, and laugh more. The answers are there, in your happy spot.
Blessings,
KJ Landis

Reaching

3/15/2021

Human beings are always reaching for something. Sometimes that reaching is a distraction from sitting with what we are feeling at that very moment. We give up alcohol and drugs, and faithfully attend the twelve step programs. While we are there we incessantly reach for the coffee, donuts, and cigarettes. We reach for new things to replace the old things instead of allowing the space to be just that...space. We attend a yoga class, and when we are to rest completely still on our backs in dead man’s pose, we reach to wipe our sweat or tear drop tickling our skin, running down towards our ear. Why can’t we be present and still? We reach for the towel, the water bottle, etc. Whatever we reach for, we can change that and internalize it. Reach for yourself. Sit with the depth of discomfort for a few seconds longer rather than ignoring what just came up within your soul spot. These are the seeds of true change. It happens one millisecond at a time.

Relationships to our food are reflections of our connections to other human beings. As our relationship to the food changes, our relationships to every other part of our lives change. We can be free to be who we really are with our friends and family. We can begin creating more clear and honest connections and traditions. When that happens, we will feel more connected to the whole world and know we are part of something greater. Our future will seem open and vibrant.

In my family, we have a tradition of thank you bites. If facing a new and unusual food that is nutrient rich, but unfamiliar, we all take thank you bites to try it out. We feel connected to the labor and energy it took to bring the food from the fields to our mouths. We thank the sun for shining down upon the farm, the rain for watering the produce and animals, the farmers for their hard labor, the delivery system that brought the food to the grocery store, the chef who cooked the food, and the person serving the food seamlessly to our table. These thank you bites bring gratitude from our hearts, and more often than not we discover a new flavor profile that we enjoy. I like to call it truth in sustenance. It brings food to a sacred level. What is your sacred food? What is your food tradition and story that elevates your soul and your connection to others?

Important to the plan of action for any long term life change are fuel, focus, and endurance. They work together to get results.

Your fuel is this blog, my books, and the foods you choose to eat going forward. It is also the fire within you that says, “I got this!” See yourself in the future-present instead of in a state of want. Want creates more wanting and a belief that you are in lack. Fuel yourself with gratefulness for the healthy, optimal body and mind. We humans can talk ourselves into almost anything and everything. How many times have we seen an “okay” looking outfit on sale for 80% off and bought it, talking ourselves into the purchase because it looked “great,” and the price couldn’t be beat? Then it sat in the back of our closet for a year until we gave it to charity. Yes, talk to yourself. Talk yourself into the body and life of your dreams. Say, “Thank you for my healthy, fit, lean, and strong body!” This is the fuel.

Focus is where you dig your heels in and allow those things and people attempting to distract you from your goals to fall away to the side like a set of dominoes. Does the family support or sabotage you? How can the family say they support me when they constantly offer me food that is clearly not on my program? “Just one bite!” I heard again and again. “It won’t kill you!” The sabotage may not be intentional, but it is sabotage nonetheless. Being extremely clear about where you want to go with your health is a way to keep your focus intact. Write it down on a small piece of paper and place the paper somewhere where you can see it every day.

Your focus can be fine tuned by helping someone else. Getting out of your own head sometimes is a good thing. If you volunteer to coach someone else, you become a role model for them. They will be looking to you for guidance. You will be less likely to make deprecating choices. It becomes a karmic circle of loving yourself into success as you are loving the other person that you are mentoring. There is a higher level of accountability when someone is counting on you. Your sense of focus is heightened.

Endurance is the power to stick it out. We build endurance by making it through these twenty four hours with our fuel and focus in place. Then we do it again tomorrow...and so on. Old way of thinking: “Oh, I have such a long way to go. How am I ever going to last? There is so much to remember and so much to give up!” New way of thinking: “I can eliminate one food that does not serve my higher purpose. Tomorrow, I can eliminate another food that does not serve my higher purpose.” We can build upon that. Instead of again thinking in terms of lack and that which you cannot have, think of switching it out. For example, switch out soy, canola, corn, peanut, and cottonseed oil for coconut oil. You have just simplified your grocery list, saved money, time, and served your higher purpose.

We are on earth for a limited time. Even our long term goals are really short term goals in the grand scheme of things. It is how we carry ourselves and what we choose to partake in every moment that will make a difference in our health and happiness. It will also make a difference in the legacy we leave behind. If we want to be truly healthy and balanced in mind, body, and spirit, we must change our behavior and then the rest will follow naturally, eventually. Self trust is key too. Trust the fact that you have arrived here and now, reading this book at exactly the right time in your life. I have seen the perfect body out there...and it is mine. I have seen the perfect body out there...and it is yours. At any stage in our journey our bodies have provided us with our heart, legs, arms, breath, and life. Be grateful for your perfect body. I am.

Blessings,
KJ Landis
SuperiorSelf channel on YouTube

Artificial Sweeteners and Natural Sugar Substitutes

3/8/2021

Here is a common question I get by email or in person about sugar substitutes: Artificial sweeteners are zero calories. Can I use any kind on my departure from added sugar?

Let’s get one thing clear my friends. Artificial sweeteners are chemicals. They are not the same thing as plant based, zero calorie sweeteners. There are many of both kinds of sugar substitutes out there. Here is a quick overview of the more popular ones:

SACCHARIN is an artificial sweetener with a sulfa base. It has a slight metallic aftertaste. Saccharin may cause nausea, diarrhea, skin problems, or other common allergic symptoms. It has even been linked to bladder cancer. My body reacts to saccharin as if I have had soda. I use the restroom repeatedly every hour. It makes me more thirsty afterwards, and then I tend to crave salty things.

ASPARTAME is made from Phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol gas. It also has a slightly bitter or metallic aftertaste. Side effects may include headaches, memory loss, anxiety, heart palpitations, and weight gain! What? Weight gain? Yes, the body thinks it is enjoying sugar, and may spike the insulin as if you had sugar anyway.

SUCRALOSE is a substance made by chlorinating sugar. The chemical structure of the type of chlorine in the table top sucralose is the type of chlorine that is banned in the pesticide named DDT! People who use sucralose have reported headaches, muscle aches, cramps, diarrhea, dizziness, and inflammation. Sucralose can impact the immune system, the liver, and the kidneys.

STEVIA is a plant based zero calorie sweetener. It grows in South America and Central America. The leaves are dried and powdered. Some brands do have a metallic or bitter aftertaste. Some people report that after a while they do not notice it. Low doses of stevia have been used for years in Japan for lowering high LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and controlling type 2 diabetes.

LUO HAN GUO is the extract from the Chinese monk fruit. It has been used for centuries in Asia as a sweet tea for sore throats, flu, and joint pain. The Japanese have crystallized it into a brown, sugar-like substance called Lakanto. It is zero calorie, and has no effect on the glycemic index. It has no bitter or metallic aftertaste. Some American companies are using the sugar substitute in their health food products now. Some newer versions of the sugar substitute have added corn starch to the ingredients list. As always, I suggest reading labels. Lakanto released a white sugar version recently, but for me, the golden brown version is more authentic to the sugar taste.

XYLITOL is a low calorie sweetener extracted from the bark of the birch tree. Some companies extract other hard wood barks and plants as well. It looks, tastes, and bakes like white sugar. It does have calories, about 9-10 per teaspoon, but will not spike the insulin levels in the body, as it is very low on the glycemic index. There is no aftertaste at all. Over consumption of xylitol can cause gas, diarrhea, and bloating in some cases.

Artificial sweeteners can stimulate the appetite and cravings, therefore making us eat more than we may need. It creates in our body the supposition that we took in more calories than we actually did (from sugar), so after a while when the digestion system gets the message from the brain that we didn’t actually eat a lot of calories, we physically need to fill that void. Artificial chemical sweeteners disrupt the insulin and leptin receptors. Our metabolism gets confused. Some artificial sweeteners have chemicals in them that stimulate and excite the brain cells so much, that they are called excitotoxins. First they excite the brain cells, then they kill them off.

Personally, I use Lakanto golden brown variety and Xyla white for my sugar alternatives. Now I am experimenting with coffee and tea without any sweetener, just cinnamon sprinkled in or lemon. I have had no side effects from either plant based sweetener.
I hope this helps clear up any confusion on sweeteners.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

Stone Age Clans and Modern Clans

3/1/2021

STONE AGE AND MODERN CLANS

The human survival and ability to thrive has always depended upon being with others. The cave man hunted in groups while his mate and children gathered food and supplies. The primitive cultures included community and social connections, even if it was only a few people gathering or living together. Sharing meals, tasks, and stories assisted the human race in growing and developing vigorously.

Our modern clans, that is, our families, work families, religious and school families, hobby and club families, and circle of friends are what keep us feeling connected to each other and to our higher power. This is what I believe. We call upon their strengths and aid when we feel like we just can’t do this life thing, this diet thing, this challenge of this very moment, all by ourselves.

During our initial efforts of changing to an optimal nutrition lifestyle, it is important to establish a support system. Find someone who looks the way you want to look, who exudes buckets of joy, positive energy, and grace. Ask them what they are eating, drinking, and what physical activities they do to stay fit! People love to be admired for the things they are doing well, and honest compliments open up a heart dialogue. Your spouse or partner may be ready to go on this journey alongside of you. Taking the children, elders, cousins, or aforementioned types of family members along the path with you may be just what is needed to impact all of your tribe toward a flourishing life.

We need allies to put up a united front against the health misconceptions and misinformation of the past 80 years. We need allies to put up a united front against cravings, poor food choices, and impulsive food shopping. “No man is an island, no man stands alone.” Joan Baez wrote this song years ago and the message rings true today. The cliché of old habits dying hard is equally true. It is an everyday thing, this health journey. I’m not suffering by any means when I choose foods that enrich my biology, but it is a mental piece of work that is carried out every single time. I would rather carry the work out with my tribe at my side.

Nobody is 100% perfect on any protocol 100% of the time. There has to be a level of self forgiveness and a level of forgiveness towards others in your community. We have the opportunity to be non-judgmental at the same time that we are striving for growth and vitality. If one is committed and has a long term vision, eventually the desired results will appear.

With your tribe backing you up, your goal setting can go a little wild! Some of the most supportive people I have met while on my journey to my superior self have been complete strangers in real life. They have been on discussion forums and social media on the internet. Perhaps because they don’t live with me or see me daily, they can give 100% to being my champion and hold me accountable to my seemingly outrageous personal goals. What little time they do give to me is very much focused and present. I am forever grateful and humbled by the experience. Be fearless in assembling your own clan. Each small step taken in the direction of your goals is an invisible pat on the back. Just do it, and see what wonderful things come your way!
Blessings,
KJ Landis

Hot Yoga and Me

2/22/2021

My favorite type of yoga is Hot Yoga. It is my 8 year obsession. Hot yoga is a guided 90 minute class in a room that is heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. There are 26 poses repeated twice and two breathing exercises. I sweat profusely during class, and usually drink my mandatory one gallon a day of water during hot yoga.

My first class went something like this: I walked into the studio and it was eerily quiet. I thought it was an exercise class, not a meditation center! Then I went into the yoga room itself. I almost passed out from the stinky smell of sweaty feet and socks. There are no shoes or socks allowed in the area where yoga was practiced, so I knew it came from the buckets of sweat pouring off of the people practicing. Maybe it was the carpet absorbing the funk for years. When I asked about the odor, the staff said they steam cleaned the carpet daily. It is part of the culture of the environment, I guess. The room was damn hot too. The more people that showed up, the higher the room temperature got. It got up past 112 degrees.

I loved the fact that I was finally warm all over, from the inside out, from my bones to my skin! (After losing my chunk of weight, I was cold so often that I bought the biggest, baddest electric blanket I could find.) The class was hard and I perspired more than I had ever done before, even more sweat dripping off of me than when I ran a marathon! Then, after my first class, I needed a nap.

Something clicked in me. A new challenge! I was not going to let the stink and exhaustion win. I went back a few times that week. After about three weeks the odor magically didn’t exist in my senses anymore, and exhaustion transformed into exhilaration. I am excited each night now to prepare my yoga bag for the next morning. On occasion, when I sleep only a few hours a night due to scheduling challenges, it is a complete deep sleep, and it leaves me satisfied and ready for more yoga.

The poses are meant for beginners. Every class is vocally instructed in the exact same way. It is up to practitioner to decide how far to push themselves. One gets more advanced by pushing deeper into the poses. Muscles are held tightly and blood flow is constricted, followed by release, and then fresh oxygenated blood travels rapidly to that area of the body. This is a high intensity cardio workout as well because when we grip with all of our God given power to our maximum capacity, the heart rate goes way up.

Stomach, stomach, stomach. The teachers emphasize tightening the abdomen throughout almost every pose to protect the lower back. This is beneficial to my body image and self esteem as well because the results are fabulous looking abdominal muscles. Strong abdominal muscles support the back muscles. I have recently seen tiny bulges of muscle in between my larger muscles, all over my body. (I have muscles. Even my muscles have muscles!) Hot yoga definitely supports the parts of our physique that some sports and exercise routines overlook. I’m more than a half century old and I am as flexible as I was when I was in my late teens. Hot yoga never gets easier either! Every class is different depending upon my food and water intake, my mood, my quality of sleep, my work effort, etc. I keep waiting for it to become a breeze, yet it never does.

Some things I have noticed after more than 8 years of hot yoga are: my sweat does not sting my eyes anymore, I rarely catch a cold or flu, I heal rather rapidly from cuts and bruises, my menstruation does not provide me with mood swings, and I have a complete, restful sleep. I wake up thoroughly refreshed, ready to take on the day.

Hot yoga is a part of my regime, but not my complete routine. It prepares me for Pilates, weight training, hiking, and serving food and beverages as a server for six to eight hours in the evenings.

I heartily encourage everybody to search and experiment with many forms of physical movement. See what makes you happy for any amount of time each day. A happy exerciser will spill some of that happiness onto someone else. That contagious energy is a gift to somebody who may have just needed a jolt of love at that very moment. If you are not a loner by nature (and we humans are social creatures...), enlist others to join you. There is power in numbers and a sense of accountability too. Making plans with somebody else on their road to health and fitness may just push you to suit up and show up. That is one step closer to your superior self.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

A Primer about Dietary Fat

2/15/2021

FATS

The brain is more than two thirds fat, so when we do not take in enough healthy, good-for-us dietary fats, our body is out of balance, out of homeostasis. The imbalance can cause forgetfulness and depression. This cognitive decline is commonly called brain fog. Our body needs fats that will be readily absorbed into the bloodstream. This ability to be absorbed and used well by the body is called bioavailability. The fats that are well absorbed also aid in the absorption of the vitamins and minerals of the foods eaten alongside of them.

After losing the weight on the HCG Body for Life protocol, I added healthy fats back into my diet. The roundness in my cheeks, buttocks, and breasts quickly returned. After three weeks of coconut flakes, avocado, raw butter, raw nuts, ghee, and raw cheeses in small quantities, I had more energy and glowed. People began asking questions about my skincare regime. I was working on the skincare routine from the inside out, with water and fat.

Remembering my elementary school science, it made sense. Fat floats on top, so my skin appeared more full, soft , and fatty, but in a good way! Remember, fat does not make us fat, if it is the right kind of fat. I now eat fifty to seventy five percent of my daily caloric intake from fat. I track it on my computer or smart phone with My Fitness Pal. There are many free applications available to assist in the nutrient balance of your food intake.

We should eat fats from:

COCONUT
AVOCADO
OLIVES
RAW NUTS AND SEEDS
RAW NUT AND SEED BUTTERS/OILS
GRASS FED BUTTER AND GHEE
GRASS FED RAW BUTTER
GRASS FED RAW DAIRY PRODUCTS
GRASS FED, GRASS FINISHED ANIMALS
100% PASTURED EGGS

Coconut

Coconut oil was given a bad rap for so long in the mainstream medical communities because it is a saturated fat. Saturated fat used to be blamed for heart disease, and it is very difficult to rid the mind of old dogma. Saturated fat is a fat that gets solidified at room temperature or cooler. Coconut milk, oil, and flesh has recently been redeemed from the “bad” fat list. The fatty acids in coconut products help us absorb minerals like calcium, magnesium, and boron from other foods. This is important for maintaining strong bones.

Coconut oil is made up of medium chain fatty acids which get used immediately by the body as energy instead of being converted into fat molecules on our hips, thighs, and abdomens. Coconut oil also helps our body to balance the Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils. This assists the body in using the stored fat on our hips, thighs, and abdomens as energy for everyday living.

Coconut products reduce internal stress, kill bad bacteria, aid in curing inflammation, inflammatory diseases, and it is a natural anti-viral. Coconut has been used around the world for centuries as both food and medicine.

I use coconut oil daily on my hair, skin, and nails. I throw it in the bath. I swish with it for fifteen minutes three times a week as a teeth whitener and gum strengthener. I cook with it, bake with it, and oil the furniture with it. In the HCG Body for Life protocol, it was the only fat allowed during Phase 2, the low calorie phase. It did not cause fat loss stalls or plateaus. When I bake desserts, I use coconut flour and oil as a substitute for other oils and flours. The results are wonderful! I even make coconut based ice cream. I drink fresh coconut water when available. In fact, in certain parts of the Philippines, they use coconut water in an IV when blood for blood transfusions aren’t available. As soon as it hits the blood stream, the coconut water changes into blood molecules.

Avocado

Avocado is used as a liver detoxification tool in many countries. It is a fatty fruit which has monounsaturated fats in it. They are helpful for reducing bad cholesterol, reducing cancer risk and diabetes risk. People who consume lots of avocados usually have lower fat percentages in their whole body ratio. Oh, did I mention it is delicious?

Olives

Olives are another source of healthy, monounsaturated fats. Like the avocado, it is considered a fruit because it comes from a tree. The olive and olive oils contain long chain fatty acids. When buying olive oil, a good idea is to purchase authentic extra virgin olive oil. Many labeled extra virgin olive oils in our stores are not the real thing, and are sometimes blended with a lower quality olive oil. Make sure to buy one that is certified organic, with a harvest date stamped on the back of the bottle or can. These are the least processed kinds of olive oil.

Olive oil is best utilized by the body at room temperature instead of cooking with it. When olive oil gets heated beyond its smoke point, the chemical components of the oil break down and the oil becomes toxic. Room temperature olive oil can lower the risk of heart disease by reducing the LDL cholesterol. The LDL cholesterol is the “bad” cholesterol. There are anti-oxidants in the olive oil which protect cells from the damage we incur when we don’t eat well (or drink well!). Olives and olive oil have vitamin K in it, second only to green leafy vegetables. Olives and olive oil are considered functional food. A functional food is easily absorbed by the body (bioavailable) and helps with multiple benefits beyond its basic nutrition.

Raw Nuts and Seeds, Their Butters and Oils

I consume loads of raw nuts and seeds. Why raw? When roasted, the oil in them becomes changed and the potential to harm health rather than enhance health is increased as the temperature increases in the nuts and seeds. Sticking to the raw form seems to avoid potential problems. For me, raw nuts and seeds are difficult to overeat. I feel fuller on raw versus roasted, and the fat content keeps me satisfied way longer than when I eat roasted nuts. I can speed-eat roasted nuts, and if they are salted, it is a danger zone for me. Raw nuts and seeds contain balances between Omega fats 3-6-9, and are a wonderful source of protein, fiber, and amino acids (the building blocks of proteins). They contain a variety of vitamins and minerals, are delicious, and very satisfying to the palate.

I use cold-pressed, organic oils from hemp seeds, grape seeds, sesame seeds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, and avocados. Surprising to me, hemp seed oil cured my acne when applied topically to my skin. Even old scars faded for me rather quickly. Hemp seeds are a plant source that have a complete protein profile. They contain all six essential amino acids and are bioavailable to the body. These oils mentioned here are freely available at Asian supermarkets and on the internet at health food discount companies.

I purchase MCT oil on the internet too. I use it to boost up my energy before a long night of serving food and drink at the restaurant where I work. MCT oil is the best part of the fat from the coconut mixed with the best part of the red palm and camphor trees. Together they form a kind of super food. They aid in the digestion of other food nutrients and absorption of essential vitamins and minerals. MCT oil helps us to naturally fast. Many hours pass before I get hungry again after using MCT oil. MCT stands for medium chain triglycerides, which I mentioned earlier in the coconut section of this chapter. MCT oil assists in the burning of body fat while maintaining lean muscle mass.

Raw nut and seed butters are my favorite sweet treat when I am craving dessert (PMS, anyone?). I add a few tablespoons to my nonfat Greek yogurt, toss in Lakanto, cinnamon, and shredded, dry, raw coconut. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of powdered bee pollen. Mmmmm, good. Raw nut and seed butters still have the fiber and protein in it, whereas the oils have just the fat. Read your labels! The lower number of ingredients a food product has, the better the nutritional values. If you see very scientific, hard to read words in the ingredients list, chances are that the company who made the nut and seed butters added things in that you do not want in your body.

A word about peanuts: Peanuts are not a nut at all. They are a bean, part of the legume family. They grow underground, like many beans, whereas nuts grow on trees. Unlike tree nuts, peanuts are better absorbed by the body when they are roasted instead of raw. They should be roasted on a low setting in the oven, a little below 200 degrees Fahrenheit, for about fifteen to twenty minutes, turning often. This helps them to be digested and kills any invisible molds on the peanuts’ surface. There is no need to add oil, as they contain oil which rises to the surface when baked. Peanuts are higher in Omega 6 oils than other nuts, which in excess can be considered a bad fat, so I eat them sparingly. It is also higher in carbohydrates than other nuts.

Butter, Raw Butter, and Ghee

Butter that is from cows who only eat grass is called pastured butter. It helps us absorb the nutrients in foods that we eat with it. If it is raw butter, that means it has not been heated at all or pasteurized. This is even healthier. Sometimes when I know that I am not going to be able to take a break from serving at the restaurant where I work, I will eat a few tablespoons of raw butter, mixed with raw nuts, Lakanto, and cinnamon just before my shift. It does keep me satiated and energized so I don’t reach for junk that won’t feed my nutritional needs. I used to reach for unhealthy snacks back in the day. I know that you know exactly what I mean. I feel you nodding through the pages, shaking your head in agreement.

Ghee is a type of clarified butter, golden yellow in color. It is made by cooking the grass fed butter and removing the thick bubbly residue that floats on the top. The good fat stays and the milk residue is removed. Ghee needs no refrigeration after this process and is another great source of healthy saturated fat. Ghee has a higher smoke point than butter too, so it is ideal for cooking even at high heats. Ghee originated in India. I remember being in India, and watching the women hand feed their dogs ghee and rice and chapati (flat, round, whole wheat breads). The dogs in India had the shiniest fur coats ever!

Raw Dairy

Raw milk and raw cheeses from unpasteurized milk and cream are beneficial and delicious. There are more and more stores selling unpasteurized dairy products than ever before. If someone is lactose intolerant, they still may be able to enjoy raw dairy because the lactase enzyme has not been changed into lactose through the pasteurization process. Raw milk products provided from grass fed animals provide protein, fat, and calcium to the body. Calcium is more easily metabolized by the bones when compared to pasteurized dairy. I think if humans were lactase intolerant, they could not easily nurse on their mothers’ milk. Humans lactate.

Grass Fed Animals

The skin and fat found on 100% grass fed and grass finished animals are extremely healthy for our skin and organs. Omega 3 fats, which are great for brain health are found in higher amounts in 100% grass fed and grass finished animals. The fatty organ meats are also very nutritious. Sometimes organ meats are difficult to get used to if one has not grown up with it in their family’s diet. People may be unsure of how to cook them. Personally, I usually don’t eat red meat, but I do love chicken livers and chicken skin from my pastured chickens. Pastured chicken means that the chicken was never fed any grains in its life. It roamed the farm or field and only consumed plants, bugs, berries, or other fruit that fell to the ground. The easiest way for me to enjoy organ meats is to sauté them with lots of garlic, onions, leeks, turmeric, and butter.

Pastured Eggs

Likewise, the eggs in my refrigerator are from 100% pastured chickens. They sure are expensive, but worth it to me. If you eat an animal, you eat what the animal ate. So if you eat a grain fed animal, it has the potential to cause the same reaction in the body as if you ate grains. I’m not willing to back to square one with that. I have come so far and am so much healthier now.

Fats that I stay away from are trans-fats. Trans-fats are toxic to the body in large quantities. Examples of trans-fats are shortening, margarine, and any processed oil that has been made to stay hard at room temperature. This helps foods stay on the grocery store shelves longer without spoiling. Omega 6 oils in highly processed vegetable oils should be avoided as well. Examples of Omega 6 oils are soy, corn, cotton seed, canola, peanut, sunflower, and safflower oils. Trans-fats raise LDL, the bad cholesterol, and lower HDL, the good cholesterol. Omega 6 oils are inflammatory in nature. Omega 6 oils are often made into trans-fats by processing, and then strategically placed into highly refined, packaged foods. For me, it is reasonably easy to avoid trans-fats because they are usually found combined with processed grain products, which I avoid like the plague anyway. If one indulges in sources of Omega 6 fatty acid foods or trans-fats, be certain to have plenty of healthy Omega 3 oils as well, like in fatty fish, seafood, and the saturated good fats mentioned earlier. They will balance out the ratio of “good” to “bad” fats.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

Covid-19

2/8/2021

So many of us are concerned about catching Covid-19. It is a silent stressor and creates a level of anxiety, just under the surface of our every day activities. The virus is a part of our new normal. The precautions we take are part of our new normal. If we are healthy and use our strong immunity as a defense, we may experience less severe symptoms and for a shorter period of time. That is another reason to exercise daily, in some form or fashion. We must move our bodies as they are meant to move, lift, and stretch. We must also eat lots of green vegetables. I cannot emphasize this enough.

We all know someone, or have a friend of a friend we know who has had the virus. It gets closer and closer to influencing our families and close friends daily. How many must suffer or perish before we wake up, and take really good care of ourselves? How easy is it to slap on a mask and wash our hands for 20 seconds? How easy is it to bring hand sanitizer on our hikes and trips to the grocery store? For me, I think the grocery store is the easiest place to share germs because we touch so many items during the visit that others have touched. Take a few minutes to spray down the packaging or wipe with antiviral wipes. Another option is to keep produce and packaged items in a brown paper bag for 3 days.

I hope this is a wake up call for all of the world. We must be active participants on the front lines of our own health care, lest we suffer under the care of others in sick care.

Blessings,
KJ Landis