Day 324- Don't Let Them Sensor Us

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

Tell Congress: Don’t censor the Web

Fighting online piracy is important. The most effective way to shut down pirate websites is through targeted legislation that cuts off their funding. There’s no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of U.S. jobs.

If you would like to sign a petition against these acts go to Google.com and voice your opinion.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 323- Bikram Yoga

It has been quite some time since my last Bikram yoga class, I think it was back when I still lived in Washington that I took a class. I have done hot yoga since then, but it definitely wasn't as intense as a traditional Bikram class. Well today I finally used another one of my million of already purchased Groupon deals.
Today was my first class out of 10 at the Bikram's Yoga College of India at the Camp
in Costa Mesa. As soon as I walked into the heated room I began getting nervous,
what if it had been too long and I wouldn't be able to do all the moves. I was already
feeling the heat and I had only been in the room for a minute. I couldn't believe how
nervous I was feeling before a yoga class!

Needless to say the class was incredible. I have had many different instructors before
for Bikram yoga, and although it may just be that it's been awhile since my last class,
I thought the instructor was incredible. She was a younger lady, with so much energy
and a great sense of humor. I feel that Bikram has been portrayed as such a serious
practice compared to many other styles of yoga that is was a nice and inviting feeling
when your instructor can add uplifting and silly words as we are trying our best to
hold a pose that our bodies have not quite been adapted to. Her encouragement to
push ourselves further each time was sincere and her instructions allowed for
those minor adjustments that added so much more to a simple pose.

I left the class feeling amazing and energized. It's funny because back when I use
to practice Bikram yoga on a more regular basis I would always have to drag myself
to each class, already thinking about the heat and sweat that I was about to endure.
But without fail I would always leave every class feeling fantastic. It's amazing
how great you can feel physically and mentally after a good sweat.
Lucky for me I still have nine more Bikram classes to look forward to.

Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 322- Baked Brussels Sprouts

Baked Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of brussels sprouts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Trader Joe's Thyme, Lemon and Bay Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut off the ends of the brussels sprouts and cut in half
3. Put brussels sprouts in a sauce pan of boiling water, let boil for about 5 minutes
4. Coat a baking dish with olive oil, place the brussels sprouts cut side down
5. Grind the Trader Joe's salt over the top of the brussels sprouts
6. Let bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the brussels sprouts start to turn slightly brown

P.S~ Brussels Sprouts are a great source of Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Manganese, Folate, glucosinolates (helps with detoxification), antioxidant support... just to name a few

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 321- 11 Year Overcomes Cancer and Writes a Cookbook

I got into nutrition because I wanted to work with patients that were trying to overcome cancer. I felt strongly that nutrition played a huge roll in the ability for the body to heal, as I still do.

At age 11 Jack Witherspoon has accomplished more than I have dreamt to do. He not only is a survivor of leukemia, has raised over $100,00 towards pediatric leukemia research, he has also written a cookbook for children called, "Twist It Up."

Jack spent his time in the hospital not watching cartoons, but watching cooking shows; getting inspiration for his book. His goal is to continue to get healthier and share his recipes with others. Jack is also a fellow blogger, and you can follow his blog at ChefJackWitherspoon.

I wish you the best of luck Chef Jack. Thank you for being an inspiration to us all.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 320- Workout of the Week

• Alternating Lunges, 20x each leg
• Jump Squats, 15x
• Mountain climbers, 25x each leg
• Push-ups, 15x
• Jump rope, 1 minutes
• Bent over rows, 15x
• Split Jumps, 1 minute

Repeat each exercise 3x through

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 319- 5 Food Labels that Don't Mean Anything

Here is an article from Huffington Post on 5 food labels that really don't mean anything. Just reading a label and taking it's word is not really enough in most cases. Make sure you take the extra step and really find out where your food is from and how your food was made. Companies are going to use labels that consumers what to read, and since many of these claims are not heavily regulated they get away with it.

5 Food Labels that Mean Nothing

Written by Shilo Urban

American consumers have grown more and more conscious of what exactly they are eating, and label reading is now de rigeur for any self-respecting grocery shopper that wants to be informed. Yet food companies are getting savvy to our need for information in this modern era - as well as to our obvious proclivities for certain psychological cues. Who subconsciously thinks that "green" = "fresh"?

While certain words and phrases such as "Low Sodium" or "Certified USDA Organic" are regulated and certified by government agencies, most are not - and it's up to the consumer to read between the lines in order to find something healthy to eat.

Don't be fooled! If you want to know what's in a grocery product, read the nutrition label and ingredients carefully, because the following food labels mean practically nothing.

"Natural" - A "natural" or "all-natural" product seems to imply that all the ingredients were plucked straight from nature with no interference from human beings, but in reality there isn't much on this earth that ISN'T natural. The FDA only regulates the word "natural" in meat and poultry products to include those that contain no artificial substances - although confusingly, genetically modified organisms are allowed. One could convincingly argue that even petroleum by-products, high fructose corn syrup and rat excrement are natural - after all, they all came from the natural world. Perhaps the biggest offender on this list, the tag "natural" on any item is basically meaningless and has been usurped by grocery manufacturers trying to compete with the certified organic food label.

"Local" - There are no legal standards for the word "local," so your grocer could put up oranges from Chile and call them "local" with no repercussions. How to avoid this conundrum? Shop for produce at farmers markets, visit local farms and get to know the people who grow your food.

"Free Range" - As far as the USDA is concerned, the only certifiable "free range" food items are poultry and eggs. The law states that chickens must be "allowed access to the outside," yet there are zero specifications as to how big this outdoor area must be. There might be one door that goes to a 4'x4' yard for 100 chickens or more that are all eating hormone-fueled, pesticide-drenched food. Your best bet is to purchase USDA Certified Organic eggs. Other "free range" meats such as beef or pork are not regulated at all, and you will just have to trust the manufacturer (or do your research).

"Made with Whole Grains" - This product might include 99.99% refined grains and .01% whole grains, but there's no way to know because the term is not regulated. The manufacturer could throw two grains of oatmeal into five tons of their product and assert that it is "Made with Whole Grains." Don't fool yourself into thinking you are eating healthier than you are!

"Lightly-sweetened" - Surely a food product that is "lightly-sweetened" contains less sugar than the norm, right? Not necessarily. Another unregulated term, "lightly-sweetened" is used to describe plenty of products that are loaded with sugar, corn syrup or other sweeteners. This food label means nothing!

Sources:

USDA Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms
FDA Food Labeling Guide

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 318- Law Proves that Mountain Dew Dissolves Rodents - Winning!

Alright, I am hooked on these crazy news articles that will hopefully cause you to take a second look at what you are really putting into your body. Here is another one from Natural News about how Pepsi is fighting a lawsuit to prove that Mountain Dew can dissolve rodents. That in my eyes doesn't seem like it would be considered a winning argument, but I guess so. Read the article below:

(NaturalNews) While drinking Mountain Dew, have you ever seen (or perhaps felt on your tongue) a thick, jelly-like substance? Maybe you assumed the ingredients in the soda had gelled. According to Mountain Dew manufacturer Pepsi, you may have been ingesting some extra protein with your beverage in the form of a liquefied rodent.

Lawsuit results in unusual defense

An Illinois man is suing Pepsi, claiming he found a mouse in his can of Mountain Dew. Ronald Bell of Edwardsville, a small town near St. Louis, alleges there was a mouse in a can of soda he purchased and drank in 2009. Bell says he spit out the mouse and called the company to complain. At the soda manufacturer's request, he sent them the mouse corpse. Pepsi had a veterinary pathologist examine the body. Their scientific expert found the rodent could not have been in the can since the soda case was sealed in August 2008, and its body would have dissolved as a result of the acid in the soda.

Bell says that Pepsi destroyed the evidence in the case and is seeking judgment. Pepsi's legal team has moved to dismiss the case. Bell's suit initially also involved the owners of the convenience store chain where he purchased the beverage, but those defendants have been dropped from the case and an amended suit was filed. The trial was set to begin in late 2011; however a Madison County Circuit Court judge granted Pepsi another month to argue for dismissal.

Quench your thirst with some chemicals

NaturalNews has reported many times in the past on the health dangers of soda, including the fact that Mountain Dew and other fruit-flavored beverages contain a flame retardant chemical (http://www.naturalnews.co/034448_brominated_vegetable_oil_soft_drinks_chemical.html). The bright green color of this soda obviously derives from food colorings, many of which also have negative health consequences. Like many sodas, Mountain Dew derives its fizzy quality from phosphoric acid, a substance which health experts have long warned can destroy tooth enamel.

Now it appears that, in order to win a lawsuit, Pepsi has conducted its own animal testing on its products and is putting forth evidence that their soda causes organic tissues, as the legal brief states, to become a "jelly-like substance." One has to wonder whether, in the interest of protecting themselves from similar future lawsuits, their scientific experts put dead mice in containers in each of their beverage products to compare the rates of disintegration.

Let's hope that anyone who thinks drinking Mountain Dew is a relatively harmless dietary indulgence hears about this case and thinks twice before swigging some of the bright green beverage. If a mouse can become jelly over the course of the shelf-life of a can of soda, imagine what it can do to your body, especially if you drink this substance regularly over the course of several years. An early advertising slogan for Mountain Dew, back in the 1960s, was "Ya-Hoo Mountain Dew. It'll tickle you innards." Maybe Pepsi can revive this slogan, changing the word "tickle" to "dissolve." Or perhaps, given the soda's more recent marketing association with extreme sports, they can present mouse-chugging as a "wild" activity to fuel skateboarding achievement.

Sources:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/01/pepsi-says-mountain-dew-can-dissolve-mouse-carcasses/46868/

http://www.madisonrecord.com/news/240607-pepsico-granted-more-time-to-plead-in-mouse-in-mountain-dew-case

http://www.madisonrecord.com/news/218815-swig-of-mountain-dew-included-dead-mouse-suit-claims

http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/227856-mt.-dew-mouse-would-be-jelly-like-pepsi-argues

http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/227856-mt.-dew-mouse-would-be-jelly-like-pepsi-argues

http://wiki.name.com/en/Mountain_Dew

http://www.naturalnews.com/033162_food_ingredients_chemicals.html

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034602_Mountain_Dew_mouse_dissolved.html#ixzz1jIMtlTNb

Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP

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