Thanks for your interest in living your life to its fullest. I put this together to provide a meaningful set of principles that can support you in feeling healthy and fabulous about yourself.

This report is divided into six sections, and is based on six principles:

1.    Emotional eating
2.    Quality of food
3.    Quantity of food
4.    Top Five Worst Foods
5.    Top Five Best Foods
6.    My # 1 Meal To Avoid

As a Certified Holistic Health Counselor, I help my clients sort through the many conflicting dietary theories to find what works best for them. What I am offering you here are General Guidelines for a healthy diet that can contribute to maintaining your optimal weight. Ultimately, you need to continue to study good health and nutrition principles and find what works for you. Here are the Six Principles to get you started. For ongoing support and additional information you can sign up for my newsletter at www.healthyfastandcheap.com/newsletter.

Principle #1.  Emotional Eating

•    Stress
•    New situations
•    Social pressure

Emotional eating is basically a way to satisfy a need for nourishment. Strong feelings are experienced and food becomes a comfort for those feelings. This is not bad or wrong, but may not be the best way to get nourishment and comfort.

Causes of emotional eating:
1.    Stress. There are four F’s in the fight or flight response of stress: FLEE, FIGHT, FEED and FORNICATE. Eating temporarily overrides other low level stress by switching your nervous system out of one state to another. However, it does not address the cause of the previous stress and therefore it returns once you are done; only now you feel lousy from over eating too.
2.    New situations. Being at school - possibly the first time you are away from home - might be overwhelming and you may be longing for comfort. You might turn to comfort foods.
3.    Social Pressure. Ironically, the pressure to fit into a new social situation - often associated with how you look - can drive you to overeat as a way to escape the pressure to be thin or look sexy. There is nothing inherently wrong with looking good, but obsessing about it can lead you to rebel against any firm commitments you made about food.

Principle #2. Quality of Food

•    Processed foods
•    Whole foods
•    Freshness
•    Life force

The quality of the food that you eat can have a significant impact on your health. One unfortunate oversight in some mainstream nutritional theories is that little emphasis is given to quality. This is particularly significant when discussing the student diet because the quality of food often decreases in your first year in college. This can be attributed to limited availability of quality foods, dependence on the food plan, adjusting to personal responsibility and a full schedule. Here are four tips to keep in mind when looking for the best foods.

1.    Limit your intake of processed foods. Many of the college students that I interviewed were in dormitory / cafeteria food plans where the fare commonly included corn dogs, pizza and iceberg lettuce as staples. Processed foods tend to be devoid of essential nutrients and are actually taxing on the body.

2.    Increase Your Consumption of Whole Foods. Science is catching up with traditional wisdom with the discovery of phytochemicals, glyconutrients, antioxidants, co-factors, and other factors that complement the macronutrients (i.e., fats, proteins, carbohydrates).

3.    Freshness. This is an essential element of quality that is becoming undervalued in modern America. The emphasis on freshness is maintained in many cultures around the globe, and in all gourmet cooking. Simply put: fresh foods are more nutritious foods. Surprisingly, many frozen vegetables and fruits retain a high nutrient density because they are packed at the peak of freshness. If any food is designed to sit on a shelf for a year, be suspicious.

4.    Life Force. All food has a life force. This is the combination of many elements, including: freshness, growing method, whole or unprocessed, type of food, and shipping and handling. Food with a vibrant life force is clearly more energizing to our bodies. We are systems, as is our food and we take on the quality of the system that we consume.

Principle #3. Quantity of Food

•    Portion sizes
•    Glycemic load
•    High glycemic load foods
•    Low glycemic load foods

The quantity of food is certainly an issue with respect to maintaining a healthy weight. But I tend to dig deeper than calorie counting when working with clients on sustaining health and a healthy weight. I have interviewed hundreds of people about what works, or not, when attempting to maintain a healthy weight, and calorie counting is not always useful.

1.    Portion size is important. Most restaurants serve up huge plates of food that are (much) more than you need. Portion size is even more critical when combined with time of day. I work with clients to find the optimal time of day to eat larger meals, and it is generally not in the evening.

2.    Glycemic Load. Consideration of the glycemic index of foods is all the rage these days. This is a good piece of nutritional information, but it fails to take into consideration the caloric density. Those two variables are combined to create the glycemic load. The glycemic index indicates how fast food metabolizes into glucose, and the caloric density shows how much glucose will be created.

3.    High Glycemic Load Foods. These foods have a high caloric density, and turn into blood glucose rapidly. This causes excess glucose to be stored as fat and leads to hypoglycemic tendencies. Examples include: white rice, white potatoes, white sugar, fruit juice, white bread, pasta, most whole wheat breads, pastries, muffins, cookies, etc.

4.    Low Glycemic Foods. These are nutrient dense and either slow to metabolize into blood glucose, contain low carbohydrate calories, or are a combination of both. Green leafy vegetables (kale, collards, mustard greens, romaine, red leaf lettuce, etc.), turnips, carrots, parsnips (roots generally have a high glycemic index, but low glycemic load), papaya, apples, pears and grapefruit. Most water-rich fruits and vegetables are low glycemic load foods.

Principle #4. The Top Five Worst Foods To Eat

•    Hydrogenated oils
•    Sugar, corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, fructose etc.
•    White flour
•    Refined salt
•    Fast food

1.    The more a food is processed, the more chance it has of having a negative impact on your health. I don’t believe that there are bad foods, but hydrogenated oils are not food, they are molecular structures not found in nature. For more information, check out my website for people with diabetes, http://realdiabeticnutrition.com/book-excerpts.php, where you will find an excerpt of my manuscript on nutrition that addresses hydrogenated oils.

2.    Although I don’t believe that any foods are bad, I certainly think that there are better, higher quality options for satisfying a craving for sweet foods. Refined sweeteners, as I mentioned above, hit the bloodstream fast-and-furious and lead to stored fat and a cycle of cravings based on low blood sugar. (The body quickly makes massive amounts of insulin when you eat a lot of sugar, stores what it cannot immediately use, and then it is left with excess insulin. Because the body wants immediate fuel but has nothing in the bloodstream to serve this role, you crave more sugar.)

3.    White flour metabolizes like sugar.

4.    Salt is sodium chloride and sodium is an essential mineral. But sodium is only one of many important minerals and when consumed in excess, especially in the absence of other minerals, it causes an internal imbalance. A high quality, unrefined sea salt will contain trace minerals that work to maintain better balance in the body. Fast food usually combines hydrogenated oils, corn syrup, white flour and refined salt. This gives a meal lacking in life force, nutrient density, mineral profile and clean fuel. The meat in fast food, thought low quality, tends to carry the meal because even low quality meat is a source of minerals, vitamins and energy. In the documentary Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock demonstrates the dangers of excessive fast foods consumption by eating nothing but McDonald’s for a month. He gained nearly 30 pounds, his liver became very toxic, and he went through periods of depression.

Principle #5. The Top Five Foods to Include

•    Dark green leafy vegetables
•    Papaya
•    Avocado
•    Cold water fish
•    Blueberries

Foods to include are nutrient dense, full of life force, fresh when possible, offer a low glycemic load, contain a full spectrum of beneficial phytochemicals (plant-derived chemicals), and leave you feeling great after eating them.

1.    Dark Green Leafy Vegetables. This may be the number one food missing from the American diet. Look at these amazing plants and you can see the energy contained within them. Collard greens, kale and other dark green leaves are full of minerals, chlorophyll (an internal cleanser), vitamins, glyconutrients (long chain sugar molecules found in the fiber of plants), and are energetically open and expansive.

2.    Papaya. What a great food for beauty. The flesh of a papaya is soft and smooth and contributes to your own skin looking beautiful. Just see for yourself. One of the reasons may be that papaya is rich in papain, an enzyme that assists in digestion and assimilation. There is a direct correlation between your digestive health and your skin. This is mildly sweet food that has a low glycemic load and makes a great dessert.

3.    Avocado. All you need to do is eat avocado consistently for a month to see for yourself how great this food is. It contains wonderful raw, monounsaturated fat that actually helps keep the body clean and lubricated. Another AMAZING beauty food. The low fat scare has unfortunately led to a fear of avocados, but this is completely unfounded. Good, healthy fat from avocado is not only acceptable, it is essential.

4.    Cold Water Fish. These aquatic animals have the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. Also known as EFAs (essential fatty acids), these fats contribute to a variety of beneficial effects. Most significant is a reduction in internal inflammation in all body systems. This leads to better brain function, better digestion, improved immune response, better stress management and a reduced risk of chronic disease later in life.

5.    Blueberries. This is my favorite berry, but all berries are nutritional ROCK STARS. They are low glycemic load foods with super high nutrient density. They taste sweet and leave you feeling clear, clean, refreshed and energized. They are absolutely loaded with beneficial phytochemicals in the form of anti-oxidants, flavonoids and beneficial acids. Berries are a great replacement snack for other sweet foods.

Principle #6. The Worst Meal You Can Eat

Danish and Coffee
Pastry and coffee is a common breakfast, snack, and sometimes even a meal, for many college students. It is fast, easy to consume, and gives you an immediate lift. Part of that is due to the rapid assimilation of sugars into the blood stream, which gives the brain an uptake of feel-good chemicals. The other aspect of the immediate lift is the obvious effect of caffeine. The down side to this injection diet - referring to the way that we commonly use these foods as a boost or lift - is dramatic. I described earlier that pastry is a high glycemic load food that leads to a blood sugar surge, storage as fat and then a crash. The crash leads to further cravings for sugar and this leads to a chronic cycle that begins to disrupt the hormone balance in the body. The prolonged use of caffeine over-stimulates the adrenals, and over time, also contributes to hormone imbalances in the body. The long term cumulative effect can be thyroid problems, adrenal fatigue, lowered immune response, depression, menstrual irregularities and lowered sexual response in men and women.

This is just the beginning of the Integrative Nutrition approach to healthy weight. For more free information, sign up for weekly postings from my blog at www.healthyfastandcheap.com/blog

Artichokes are incredibly nutrient dense and are overlooked in the world of nutrition because of the relatively small amount we usually consume at one sitting, but take a look at this:
~One small to medium size artichoke has the same amount of potassium as a small banana, without the high glycemic load
~It is a great source of magnesium, water soluble vit.-C and dietary fiber
~Artichokes, which contain quercetin, runti, anthocyanins, gallic acid, luteolin and cynarin, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid, silymarin, appear to have more phytonutrient potential than spinach and broccoli.

To Prepare Artichokes:
Trim the edges of the outer leaves
Carefully open the leaves enough to try and expunge the “choke”
This process is detailed in “The Joy Of Cooking”
Place in a pot with 4 inches of water (optional garlic, lemon and bay leaf)
Steam for 30 to 45 minutes
Test for done-ness by removing outer leaves, which should pull off easily

Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes, or let’s try the First nation style, “Sunroots”
Well, this tuber of the sunflower family doesn’t look anything like an artichoke, but contracry to popular belief, is in the same family as artichokes, which also includes burdock and dandelion as well as the familiar sunflower.
Side Note: It is amazing how many references I saw that claimed there was no relation between these plants.
The family relation explains the familiar flavor of this tuber and it’s cousin the thistle.

These little nuggets of goodness are surprisingly good for blood sugar support and therefore a great food for fast-oxidizers and parasympathetic metabolic types and for anyone working with blood sugar issues.

Getting the nutritional breakdown of Sunroots is hard to pin down, but we know for sure that they are an excellent source of inulin, which is a long chain fructo-ogilosacharide that benefits probiotics and is thereby termed “prebiotic.” Understanding the other constituents that help blood sugar control has been a challenge for me, but I did find a whole list of Edgar Cayce recommendations for sunroot and diabetes. Pretty wild. Energetically, these are way more interesting to me than a potato. This is a hardy and strong plant that will grow without cultivation. Modern potato plants are generally weak and need plenty of care. The result of the type of growing conditions is an “energetic” quality that we take into our body. One life system entraining another.

Believe or not, sunchokes were one of my favorite foods as a kid, right up there with Kholrabi, chocolate and nutritional yeast, (before I was corrupted by soda, Doritos, and cracker jacks, thanks Grandma!)

I have been playing around with preparations of sunroots this year. Mostly I have enjoyed eating them raw. I have sautéed them in butter with salt and pepper, yumm. . . and I have boiled them and tossed olive oil and fresh herbs over top. I read recently that they can be slow cooked in the oven at 200 for 12 to 24 hours, which will convert the long chain sugars and make a translucent, caramelized yumminess, which I could get into!
Seth Braun, holistic health counselor, 303 443 6543, www.sethbraun.com

In the 16th century, eating an artichoke was reserved only for men. Women were denied the pleasure because the artichoke was considered an aphrodisiac and was thought to enhance sexual power.

Men’s Health.  July/August 2007.  pg.48

Adapted from Elizabeth Lipski’s Digestive Wellness by Sarah Holland, intern for Real Simple Nutrition

Think of it this way.

You have in you, a deep pool of energy. You can draw on this energy to pull an all nighter for work or school, to raise a young child, or to fight off disease. You can also get energy from the food you eat, the air you breathe, the way you think, the right exercise for your body-type and other practices, which I have and will continue to write about in this newsletter. If you become dependent on drawing out the deep pool of energy, eventually, you are going to take out some reserves that you can’t replace, and this my friends is not a good habit to develop.

For those of us living in Colorado for the last 7 years, we have become familiar with two things; wild fires and water restrictions. Since there is not a lot of open water here, municipalities have reservoirs. These basins are the reserves for the people and if they get depleted, then there can be a problem. As long as the aquifer that feeds the reservoir is robust, then the municipality knows to use that same flow for use in the people’s water supply. It would not make sense to use the water from the reservoir when the water supply is abundant, for if the water supply was abruptly interrupted, and the people had been using the reservoir instead of the fresh water, they would, as they say, be up the creek without a paddle.

Same thing with you.
The best thing to do is use the flow of energy from a quality daily life routine that provides you with multiple sources of life energy and removes the major sources or life drain. Dependence on stimulants to tap your reserves instead of using the flow of life backfires when we find ourselves in any time of “drought”, or “famine,” or even “wild fires,” or the human equivalent of air travel, travel without access to any nourishing food or experiences, or fever.

On the other hand, coffee and caffeine can be useful and even fun to enjoy.

Consider the common practice of drinking coffee during the afternoon break in many European settings. There, the pace is slower, the conversation is long and the effect of the coffee / caffeine is not intended to provide a drive or push. In this case, there is less of the depleting effect.

In the big picture, these stimulants basically amp up whatever you are doing. If you are tweaked and anxious, caffeine, and especially coffee, will make you more tweaked and anxious. If you are enjoying a long, leisurely and relaxing brunch with friends, coffee will magnify the experience. (For some, like me, coffee will also cause a 24-hour no-sleep effect, which is not fun).

Because of the intense effects of coffee on me personally, I opt to choose extra dark chocolate, or raw cacao, as my stimulant of choice.

Copyright 2007, Seth Braun, High Energy Health, 303 443 6543,  HYPERLINK “http://www.highenergyhealthcounselor.com” www.highenergyhealthcounselor.com

If you would like to check out a great basic resource go to http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/110/hair.
Here is a sampling of the information offered:
According to “Skin Deep,” a 2004 study and ranking of 7,500 cosmetic products published by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), 100 percent of shampoos tested contained ingredients that have not been assessed for safety by either the Cosmetic Industry Review panel (an industry body) or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is charged with regulating cosmetic ingredients. Other hair-raising facts:
*69 percent of hair-dye products may pose cancer risks (this is primarily the color itself)
*76 percent of conditioners contain ingredients that are allergens (phthalates,
*93 percent of shampoos possibly contain harmful impurities linked to cancer or other health problems. (parabens, sulfates)

For a few years now I have been watching the growing career of beauty health pioneer John Masters, whom many of you will have heard of since Pharmaca sells his hair care products. His eponymous salon in New York City uses organic herbal and clay based hair color and highlighting products with no ammonia and very little hydrogen peroxide. I am very happy to be able to offer you the same!

Ammonia-free hair color is a revolution that is changing the face of a traditionally toxic industry. Ammonia has always been included in hair color. It raises the pH level of the hair strand, forcing open the cuticle and allowing color molecules to penetrate the hair shaft. The problem with this process is that ammonia is a toxic, corrosive chemical that damages both the hair and the lungs. Ammonia-free hair color will not damage the hair because moisturizers open the cuticle very gently to allow color deposit. Since the cuticle scales are not corroded during processing, the hair both retains its shine and health and has a longer lasting color result. You can truly smell the difference and your beautifully colored, shiny, healthy hair will thank you.

Because the skin absorbs what is put on it, it is really just the same as eating. This way of thinking will give you the ability to carefully edit what your skin is absorbing. Nail care is another issue of toxic skin absorbtion. Many polishes contain cancer causing ingredients and harmful dyes as do the scrubs and lotions. I use only whole food ingredients, such as milk, honey, citrus, and green tea in my signature nail treatments and I have found over the years the results are much better long term. Nails grow faster and retain their moisture, age spots fade and skin is radiant. All because of whole foods.

I have been researching products and techniques throughout my career in order to truly provide a holistic approach to beauty. I would love to share my knowledge with you. There is no time but now to start making changes that bring greater health!

Crystal Jenkins is my number one hair care diva. For more information, contact me through my site at www.SethBraun.com

Factory farms use low quality feed such as corn, grains, additives and byproducts which increase the fat content of these animals.  Animal byproducts from slaughterhouses are mixed into the feed, and animals feces can often get into the meat while it is being butchered.2  Factory farmed animals live under duress, which consequentially leads to negative physiological byproducts, including acidic byproducts, increased bacteria and less flavorful food. 2

Free Range:
Free Range is sustainable farming.  It respects the environment and treats the animals humanely as well as supports local economy.1 Sustainable farms are family owned and operated, environmentally friendly due to responsible management of soil, water, and the lives of the animal, and they don’t need excessive hormones or antibiotics. .1 Animals raised in a free range environment provide leaner, more nutritious cuts of meat and have higher levels of Omega3 fatty acid, 2-6 times more Omega3s.2 Americans consume too much Omega6 (factory farmed animals), and don’t get enough Omega3.3
Weston Price, a dentist, traveled to isolated parts of the word to discover what factors are responsible for good dental health.  He analyzed foods used by isolated people and found their food had four times as many water soluble vitamins, calcium, and minerals as well as ten times as many fat soluble vitamins from animal foods such as butter, fish eggs, shellfish, organ meats, eggs and animal fats.3  All traditional diets include some kind of animal food. According to his findings eating meat is important but factory farmed meat and fish as well as highly processed meats should be avoided.3  He also said that red meat is important because it is rich in nutrients that protect the heart and strengthen the immune system such as B12, B6, zinc, phosphorous, carnitine and co-enzyme Q10.3

“Is Your Meat Fit to Eat?”  GrassRoots Action Center for the Environment.  Factory Farm Project.   HYPERLINK “http://www.factoryfarm.org” http://www.factoryfarm.org
“Eat Well Guide.”  Sustainable Table.   HYPERLINK “http://www.eatwellguide.org” www.eatwellguide.org
“Wise Traditions.”  The Weston A. Price Foundation.   Food, Farming, and the Healing Arts.   HYPERLINK “http://www.westonaprice.org” www.westonaprice.org

These little nuggets of goodness are surprisingly good for blood sugar support and therefore a great food for fast-oxidizers and parasympathetic metabolic types and for anyone working with blood sugar issues.

Getting the nutritional breakdown of Sunroots is hard to pin down, but we know for sure that they are an excellent source of inulin, which is a long chain fructo-ogilosacharide that benefits probiotics and is thereby termed “prebiotic.” Understanding the other constituents that help blood sugar control has been a challenge for me, but I did find a whole list of Edgar Cayce recommendations for sunroot and diabetes. Pretty wild.

Energetically, these are way more interesting to me than a potato. This is a hardy and strong plant that will grow without cultivation. Modern potato plants are generally weak and need plenty of care. The result of the type of growing conditions is an “energetic” quality that we take into our body. One life system entraining another.

Believe or not, sunchokes were one of my favorite foods as a kid, right up there with Kholrabi, chocolate and nutritional yeast, (before I was corrupted by soda, Doritos, and cracker jacks, thanks Grandma!)

I have been playing around with preparations of sunroots this year. Mostly I have enjoyed eating them raw. I have sautéed them in butter with salt and pepper, yumm. . . and I have boiled them and tossed olive oil and fresh herbs over top. I read recently that they can be slow cooked in the oven at 200 for 12 to 24 hours, which will convert the long chain sugars and make a translucent, carmelized yumminess, which I could get into!

T-Shirt?

Money?

What is the best gift you can give a high school grad?

If you care about their future, then my book, Healthy, Fast and Cheap: The Ultimate College Cookbook, is the best gift you can give, hands down.

But don’t take my word for it:

“Wow, this is the best book I have read on how to make healthy eating easy”
-James, college student

“The state of the college is a mess . . . this book gives a simple solution to the common problems that students face”

-Diane, food editor

What would you have done if you had a simple and effective guide to eating well in college? Think about the difference even one meal a week of healthy food can make in a college student’s life?

Healthy, Fast and Cheap Contains Tips on:

How To Eat For Increased and Sustained Energy
How To Save More Time
How To Save More Money
What To Eat For Maximum Nutritional Bang for Your Buck
How To Cook To Impress Your Date

Chapter Headings Include:

Overview: how to use this book
Life Skills 1. Budget
Kitchen Set Up
Breakfast
Life Skills 2. Time Management
Lunch
Life Skills 3. Housemates and The Kitchen
Dinner
Life Skills 4. Food and Dating
Snacks / Keeping The Pantry Stocked
Life Skills 5. Total Health
A Word On Nutrition
The Bigger Picture
Glossary
Snacking
Index and Recipe Locator
Appendix: Special Reports
Special Report #1: Super Foods
Special Report #2: Afternoon Fatigue
Special Report #3: Convenience Stores
Special Report #4. Beating The Freshman Fifteen

The book also contains easy to follow graphics and diagrams, like the following target diet:

For under $20 total, you can offer this great gift to a student in your life. This is a gift that will make a lasting impact in the life of someone you care about. Thanks for your interest in our work. For even more information, you can click on the Pages, Links and Categories for interviews, free articles on health and resources on how you can improve your health!

Click here to: BUY THE BOOK