Could Parasites Be Making You Overeat?

I have a friend who has struggled with weight all of her life. Over the past 10 years she has been working very hard to keep the weight off but it keeps coming back. She loses and gains weight constantly. At one time she lost over 100 pounds; however, most of it came back. As you can imagine, this is very frustrating to her.

A few months ago she saw a doctor and found out she has parasites commonly called intestinal worms. Basically, the parasites or worms in her body were causing her to crave sugar and carbohydrates because they need it to survive.

I don't want to disgust you by going into details, but she has been treating the parasites and worms and has already lost 20 pounds in a couple of months. Her cravings have subsided and she does not feel as tired and sluggish as she was feeling.

If you find yourself having uncontrollable urges to binge, go to the doctor and find out if you may have a parasite or worms. They can treat you for this. If you don't have any insurance, their are natural ways to treat the problem that will not harm you. You can start by getting a colon cleanser and liver cleanser from your local health food store.

People can easily contract parasites by being in close contact with animals, eating undercooked meet, eating at buffets, walking around bare foot, not properly washing hands, not washing fruit and vegetables and cleaning counter surfaces with rags and sponges that are covered with bacteria.

If you have any of the following syptoms you probably have parasites. Many of the symptoms can be attributed to other problems which is one of the reasons Doctors commonly mistake the presence of parasites for other illnesses.

1. Fatigue
2. Easily irritated
3. acne or other skin problems
4. bloating
5. diarrhea
6. constipation
7. head aches
8. problem focusing
9. never feeling full
10. depression
11. many other symptons that you will find from reading the below articles.

http://hsu.com/parasite_cleansing.htm?OVRAW=symptoms%20of%20parasites&OVKEY=symptom%20of%20parasite&OVMTC=standard&OVADID=390087021&OVKWID=505232521
http://www.allnaturalinfo.com/parasites.htm
http://www.humaworm.com/symptoms.html
http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-worms.htm

Rather you suspect you have parasites or not, it is good to cleanse your colon and liver regularly. Our bodies are having to withstand a lot of toxins because of the air we breathe and the foods we eat. Those of us who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables are already at an advantage because of the high fiber. I personally take a liver cleanser every day that I purchase on line from a company in Michigan. The direct link to this product is http://www.vitasalus.com/masterformulas.htm#Liver%20Cleanse. I have been purchasing from this product for almost 10 years. This company also sales colon cleansers. I normally by colon cleansers from the local healthfood store.

I hope this information will help those of you who find yourself binging uncontrollably and still never feels satisfied. By getting rid of parasites, you may be on your way to losing weight and feeling healthier before you know it.

Stop Drinking Your Calories

Did you know that if you are a soda drinker, you are taking in a lot of calories that are not being turned into energy which will cause you to gain a lot of weight. I put it to the test over Thanksgiving. Here's my story.

The Friday before Thanksgiving, my husband and I left to go up North to visit our families. Saturday my friends and family gathered at my mom's house to celebrate Thanksgiving early. That day I drank about 5 glasses of Coca Cola. The next day I drank about 2 glasses. The rest of the week I drank about 2 glasses a day. Even though it was the holidays, I did not indulge myself in a lot of food. However, because I was out of my normal environment, I also did not get my usual fruit intake. To make a short story shorter, I ended up gaining 7 pounds. In only one week. JUST FROM DRINKING SODA AND NOT EATING ENOUGH FRUIT!

I have been back in my normal environment for 4 days. I haven't had any soda and I've been eating my normal consumption of fruit. I've already lost 3 of the seven pounds that I gained. This says a lot about soda and it's affect on our weight and health.

I challenge you to cut out soda, alcohol, sweetened tea, sweetened coffee, mixed drinks such as pina coladas (which by the way has more calories than you should have in a whole meal), and other drinks that have added sugars, artificial sugars, and/or added fructose. Replace it with water, 100% real fruit juice not from concentrate (i.e. Florida's Natural Pure Premium Orange Juice with lots of pulp or Tropicana's Pure Premium Orange Juice with lots of pulp), and/or Unsweetened tea and coffee or tea sweetened with a little bit of honey. While taking this challenge, increase your fresh fruit and vegetable intake. Doing this alone will cause unnecessary calories to drop off. (If you don't already drink beverages with added sugars and fructose [including drinks with artificial sweeteners] and you can't keep the weight off than your problem is the foods you are eating.)

I have a cousin in Texas who lost 40 pounds in a few months by cutting out soda. Basically, he lost the equivalent of a child. You can believe he felt a lot better and had a lot more energy.

If you are willing to take this challenge, keep me posted on your progress. GOOD LUCK! :)

A Few Recipes To Get You Started In The Right Direction

“Fried” Chicken
Ingredients needed: 6 chicken legs and/or wings, 2 large eggs, seasoning salt, pepper, any other spice you normally put on your fried chicken.
Supplies: bowl to mix ingredients

On gas grill: Put chicken and spices (enough to taste) in a bowl. Mix together. Add eggs (enough to cover chicken entirely) and mix together. Place on a grill. Cook on Medium for about 7-10 minutes on top rack (make sure the inside of meat gets cooked all of the way). Turn the fire up to high. Move chicken to bottom rack. Cook until the outside of the chicken is crispy. Serve.

In oven: Preheat oven to 400. Put chicken and spices (enough to taste) in a bowl. Mix together. Add eggs (enough to cover chicken entirely) and mix together. Place in oven on top rack. Cook until the inside is cooked all of the way through. Turn the oven to Broil (this will cause the fire to come from the top and be at 500 degrees). Cook until the skin is crispy. Serve.

It is important to make sure the heat is on high otherwise the chicken will not get the crispiness that is associated with fried chicken. Serves 2

Pan Fried Fish Filet (preferably tilapia, perch or any other white fish)
Ingredients needed: 2 Fish Filets, 2-3 tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese, Seasonings, Parsley flakes (optional), 2 teaspoons Vegetable oil

Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil on a small to medium sized skillet. Put 1-1.5 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on one side of both of the fish filets. Add seasonings (enough to taste) to one side of the filets. Place the seasoned and “breaded” side faced down on the heated skillet. Add the remaining parmesan cheese and seasonings to the other side of the fish filets. Place a lid on the skillet and cook on medium for about 5 minutes. Turn the fillets over and cook uncovered on high until the side that is faced down is crispy. Turn over one more time and cook till the side that is face down is crispy. Serve.

Collard Greens, Turnip Greens, Kale or Mustard Greens
Ingredients needed: 3 bundles of Greens (choose one from the list above or mix 2 or more kinds together), 1 large onion, 1 clove garlic, 2 smoked turkey legs or wings, salt, pepper, Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, Mrs. Dash, ½ cup of apple cider vinegar, up to ¼ cup of honey (optional)

Bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil. Add the 2 smoked turkey legs or wings to the boiled water. Cook for about 1 hour. While the legs are cooking, wash the bundles of greens with salt water. Make sure there is no dirt or “grit” left in the greens. Cut the onions in slices. Separate the garlic and cut up in slices. Add the cut onions and garlic to the water. When all of the juice has cooked out of the turkey, remove it from the water. Take some of the meat from the bones and leave in the water. Add the spices, apple cider vinegar, honey (optional), and Greens to the water. Cook on medium for about 2 hours (until greens are tender). Serve. (Make sure you serve the greens with the water because a lot of the nutrients are in the water).

Asparagus Spears
Ingredients needed: 7-10 Asparagus Spears, 1-2 Tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese, Cavender’s Greek Seasoning (seasoning salt and/or Mrs. Dash can substitute), ¼ onion, a dash of salt, 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place asparagus spears in aluminum foil. Sprinkle all ingredients on the asparagus spears. Make sure the aluminum foil covers the ingredients entirely. Cook in oven for about 30 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Serve.

You can also put on the grill instead of in the oven. Cook on the grill for 20 minutes instead of 30.

Is Water Really Necessary?

Many of us do not drink the necessary amount of water. I personally am horrible when it comes to drinking water. It is just boring. It has no taste, no fizz, no nothing. I have great news for you. Water is water no matter what form it is in. This means that if you eat a lot of fruit, you are drinking a lot of water. If you drink a lot of tea, you are drinking a lot of water. This is great news!

The way you can gage if you are getting enough water or not is by the color of your urine. When your urine comes out clear, you've had plenty of water.

Also, when you are thirsty, don't drink sodas or drinks that have a lot of sugar. Instead, either drink a glass of water, drink unsweetened tea, tea sweetened with a little bit of honey, or eat a juicy piece of fruit (or pure premium fruit juice). This will quench your thirst without adding empty calories to your diet.

Recipe Search

If you have a recipe that is healthy, delicious and you would like to share it, please email me at eatrightplease@yahoo.com. I am collecting recipes to place on this blog.

Thank you for your participation,
Eat Right

GAS....Ugggh

Many African Americans suffer from gas and just accept it as a normal part of life. Well guess what...it is not normal to have gas. If you have gas, your body is trying to tell you that you are eating something that is not being digested properly. The food causing the gas is not necessarily bad for you it is just not being processed correctly. For many of us, one of the main culprits is dairy. Milk, cheese, yogurt, ice-cream and cream. Other culprits could be beans, broccoli, strawberries, and other fibrous foods.

What should you do if these foods affect you? First of all, figure out what types of foods are causing YOU to have gas. It's different for everybody. You can do this by eliminating common foods that cause gas for a few days and see if there is a difference. I would start with dairy. Once you determine the foods that are giving you gas, find a healthy alternative. If cows milk is giving you gas, try soy milk or goats milk. If strawberries give you gas, eat cherries or grapes instead. If you don't want to cut out any of these foods, take a bean-o before your meal. I do this all of the time and it works like a charm. (I prefer bean-o over gas-x because bean-o is natural.)

The important thing to realize is that gas is not normal. If you have it on a regular basis, pay attention to what you are eating that is causing it and either change the food or have a bean-o.

The Truth About Breakfast

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And it is....right? Right!...if you know what to eat.


1. True or False. Anything you eat for Breakfast is good as long as you're eating something.


2. True or False. Pancakes, Bacon, Eggs and a biscuit are the perfect meal to eat during breakfast time.


3. True or False. You should not eat "dinner" type foods for breakfast.


The answer to all three of these statements is "false."


The reason breakfast is very healthy and filling is because many people naturally eat foods that are high in fiber. Foods such as oatmeal, cereal and fruit. Food high in fiber gives you energy and curbs your appetite. Many of us in the African American community, however, eat the wrong types of food for breakfast.


Pork Bacon, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, french toast, pork sausage, scrapple, corned beef hash and sugary cereals are high in either fat, sugar and/or calories and low in fiber, nutrition and protein. This is the reason some of us will have a large meal and than feel hungry again 2 hours later.

When preparing breakfast for yourself, make sure the meal contains a lot of fiber and a lot of protein. If you want to eat a bowl of frosted mini wheat, a peach and scrambled eggs...go ahead. On the same token, if you want to have a piece of broiled salmon and a salad.....go ahead. Many other cultures eat what we would consider dinner foods for breakfast and it is perfectly okay. It is not uncommon for me to eat leftover dinner for breakfast. It is much better than eating pancakes and bacon.

So basically, in order to start your day with nutrition and energy without adding extra pounds, make sure you choose foods such as fruit, cereal with a lot of fiber, and lean proteins.

Going To The Grocery Store.

I use to mess up every time I went to the grocery store. I would buy chips, boxed cakes, frozen meals, ice cream, etc. I use to tell myself that I would just eat a little. I would end up eating the whole bag of chips in 2-3 days. A whole boxed cake in a week (by myself). It was ridiculous. I finally had to admit to myself that I did not have self control. In fact, I had self "uncontrol". I was addicted to food. I loved the act of putting food in my mouth. It was actually fun for me....until the end of the week when I would step on the scale and realize I gained 5 pounds. Something had to change. I realized the grocery store was not going to change. They will always have chips and cookies and prepared foods and frozen dinners. I also knew that there was no way I could get around going to the grocery store. I finally had to start making decisions that would alter or change my buying behavior at the store.


1. Have a grocery shopping day planned so that you are prepared the day you go. If you know you are going on a Wednesday, take extra fruit to work with you or an extra granola bar. Eat a large salad (with a little salad dressing) before you go. This brings us to step 2.


2. GO ON A FULL STOMACH. It was a lot easier to buy foods such as fruit, vegetables, lean meats, etc. when I was too comfortable and not starving.

3. Buying fresh fruit and vegetables is like buying the "little black dress". If you're deciding what to splurge on it needs to be fresh fruit and vegetables. You can eat them anytime, they go with every meal, and they should be a staple in every refrigerator or counter top.


4. Make sure you are buying foods that have a lot of fiber (fruit, raw vegetables, cereals [not cap'n crunch or cinnamon toast crunch], granola, beans, etc).


5. Buy lean unprepared meats. (Chicken, turkey, fish [not seafood], lean ground beef, pork chops)


6. Avoid pre-breaded meat. (fish sticks, chicken patties, etc.)


7. Avoid canned vegetables. Canned vegetables contain too much sodium and have almost no nutritional value. (tomato sauces [not spaghetti or pizza sauce] and canned tomatoes are an exception.)


8. Avoid buying frozen cuisines and tv dinners. They are very fattening and contain a lot of sodium. They are also easy to prepare which will make them tempting to eat even when you are not really hungry. (tip: unhealthy snacks and fattening foods should not be made easy to access in your home. If you have chips [in my case, my husband buys them], have them hidden and out of sight. The fruit and vegetables should be in sight. I keep a bowl of fruit on my kitchen island and kitchen table. When I'm hungry or need a snack, i just grab something from the bowl and eat it.


9. Buy seasonings that will add flavor and enhance the meat and vegetables that you will be preparing. Seasonings and spices contain zero calories and are good for you. Buy different types of seasonings to give variety to your dishes. I like to use Lawry's seasoning salt and Cavender's Greek seasoning. I also use a lot of parsly, garlic, onions and basil. You buy what you like and use them often. Flavoring foods with seasoning and spices is a lot healthier than using the fat off of meat. This leads us to number 10.



10. Don't buy fat back or ham hock to season vegetables. Smoked turkey is a better option.


Staples for your pantry:

1. Honey

2. Spices

3. Olive Oil

4. Rice

5. Onions

6. Garlic

7. Oatmeal (or another whole grain hot cereal)

8. Cereal (etc. Shredded wheat [plain or frosted is okay], special k, cheerios, kashi, raisin bran)

9. Beans (dry or canned is okay)/lentils

10. Canned tomato products



Staples for your freezer:

1. Lean meat

2. Frozen Vegetables (back up for fresh vegetables)

3. Frozen pure fruit juice (check the label to make sure no sugar or fructose has been added)



Staples for your refrigerator:

1. Fruit

2. Vegetables

3. Milk (soy, goat or less than 2%)

4. Eggs or Tofu


Staples for you counter or kitchen table:

1. Fresh fruit

2. Fresh vegetables


The staples that are listed are not the only things you can have in the various places they are just the staples, meaning, these are the items you should have at all times.

Eat Like The Chinese

I lived in China for a summer back in 1997. It was a wonderful experience for me. I was able to learn and observe a lot about the Chinese. One thing I observed was how fattening their food was (and still is). I mean dripping in fat. I gained weight my first 3 weeks while I was over there. It was interesting to me how I did not see any overweight people. In fact, they were all skinny. I started paying attention to what they were doing and how they ate.

1. They ate on plates that we consider saucers.
2. There was a lot of room on their plates. When serving themselves, they would take a spoonful of this and a spoonful of that. The spoons were the size of our tablespoons not the big serving spoons that we use here in the United States.
3. They talked a lot while they ate which caused them to eat slowly.
4. They did not feel the need to "clean there plates". In fact, it's offensive to finish with a clean plate. It's like telling the host there's not enough food.

The moral to this story:
1. Eat on smaller plates.
2. Don't take large portions.
3. Eat slower. Studies have shown that it takes 20 minutes for your brain to process that you are full. When you eat too fast, you end up stuffing yourself with unnecessary amount of food and calories.
4. It's okay not to clean your plate. If you eat more food than you need, it will go to waist on your hips and waist anyway. Better to end up in the garbage.

Substitutions: The Truth, The Lies and The Total Bullshit

Our society is very consumed with finding substitutions and alternatives to the bad foods we put in our bodies. In stead of Coke you can have Diet Coke. Instead of Cuisine you can have Lean Cuisine. Instead of Ranche dressing you can have Lite or Fat Free ranche dressing. The list can go on and on.

Finding substitutions and alternatives for unhealthy choices is just a fact of life. Not just with food but in all aspects of our lives. For example, if you are a shopaholic and find yourself laid off of your job, you'll have to find something else to do (such as look for another job). If you like to play sports and you get in an accident that causes you to lose a limb, you'll have to find a sport that does not require you to need all of your limbs or do something else entirely.

The principal is the same when choosing foods. If you love Coke but then find out it is causing you to gain a lot of weight, you have to replace it with something else. If you love McDonald's Big Macs and later get a revelation that it has a ton of calories and almost no nutritional value, you have to find something else to eat at lunch time. The problem is that a lot of us do not know what to substitute or how to substitute so we make choices that do not help us in the end.

I have a friend who has struggled with weight her whole life. In her 20s she decided to do something about it. She started going to the gym, drinking lots of water, and eating healthier food. She lost 100 pounds. This was very good except she gained most of it back. She could not figure out what she was doing wrong (or at least she did not want to admit what she was doing wrong). On some aspects she was correct: drink water, cut out fried foods, cut back on chocolate. As a bystander, I could not figure out why she gained all of the weight back either. She appeared to be doing things correctly. However, as time goes on, you start to see things the way they really are. She once revealed to me that she started eating chocolate chip cookies. She was proud of herself because she did not eat brownies anymore. I also noticed that some of the good foods she was eating were being eaten in excessive amounts. She did not eat a lot of chips anymore but she could eat a whole can of nuts. Yes, the nuts are good for her and a lot better than chips; however, nuts have a lot of fat in them. If you eat a lot of them you will gain weight.

From the example above, you can see what she was doing wrong. The truth was she needed to cut out brownies, chips and fried foods (and she did). The lie she told herself was, "since nuts are good for me I can eat as much as I want". The bullshit she fed herself was "it's okay to eat cookies since I'm not eating brownies".

When substituting:
1. Choose a food or drink that is not a mimic of the original. (example: If you normally drink Soda, don't start drinking Diet Soda. If you do, you're not changing your lifestyle, you're just changing one ingredient. This will not cause you to lose weight or gain health. In fact, this could actually cause you to gain weight because you will probably drink more. A better way to replace Soda is to drink water, 100% fruit juice, seltzer water, Unsweetened tea (or tea sweetened with honey), or eat a very juicy piece of fruit (I do this all of the time).

2. Don't replace one bad thing for another bad thing. (example: Eating cookies instead of brownies is like smoking a cigar instead of a cigarette [or vice versa]. They are both bad. If you like desserts, you probably like things that are sweet. Eat tons of fruit. Drink smoothies made with fresh fruit and 100% fruit juice. If you absolutely have to have a piece of chocolate, eat 1 pudding cup- Not 2 or 3.) This is about changing lifestyles. We all have to do it.

3. Choose a substitute that you either won't overeat or it won't hurt if you do overeat. (example: if you want to stop eating chips or other snack foods, don't replace it with nuts if you can't stop at one handful a day. Instead, choose something totally different such as fruit. When I want to snack on something, I will eat grapes out of a ziploc bag or 2 bags of baby carrots. Usually, people who snack just like the action of putting things in their mouths. Eat as many grapes and carrots as you want. in fact, EAT AWAY. If you just need something salty, put salt on your baby carrots or tomatoes, or cucumbers.) Remember, it's about lifestyle changes.

In all things, know yourself, accept yourself and be truthful with yourself.