Stop Migraine Headaches

Stop Migraine Headaches

             Migraine-HeadachesIf you have ever had or have migraines you know, they are painful sometimes even can be disabling. They are changes in chemicals and blood vessels in the brain, which send pain signals leading to the head. Often can lead to feeling of nausea, and vomiting, I often find when I have one there are sensitivities to light, noise, and smell.

I have been a sufferer of migraines from childhood. Knowing how awful they are, and I spent too many nights, going into the darkest room around, pray it would go away and hope to fall asleep! As I grew older working at a dental clinic in the Air Force, I found new smells and certain foods that would trigger these headaches. Every Monday or a long period away from work without fail, BOOM there would be a headache. After countless unsuccessful attempts to battle them on my own, it was when I started working with Fadi Malouf and David Baldovin we took them on with nutrition as my key to helping prevent and alleviate.

With the guidance of the Body By Fadi’s Team, I have learned certain foods can help prevent, alleviate, or reduce the severity of the migraine.

Click HERE for Clinical Studies on Migraine Headaches

 

Follow these Tips to Stop Migraine Headaches

Some foods such as spinach or other dark leafy vegetables are high in magnesium that will help alleviate migraines. Common causes like stress, alcohol intake, and menstruation in women absorb magnesium in the body. Eating such vegetables like spinach or kale will help restore levels. Currently learning how to create delicious smoothies with these and other ingredients below, thanks to Coach Scott Black’s book Living On High Speed.

Ginger – I found taking ginger will help with an upset stomach that may often come with a migraine.

Peppermint- I read a study done back in 1966 showed a solution containing 10% peppermint essential oil was as effective as 1,000mg of acetaminophen (the ingredient in medicine like Tylenol) I drank Peppermint Tea and also at times just massaged peppermint essential oil onto my temples.

Fish – Help reduce the frequency and severity of the migraine, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, as well act as an anti-inflammatory. Fish such as tuna, salmon, mackerel and trout are excellent sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acid.

Since taking they’re advise with proper nutrition, it helped a ton. Going from weekly on sets to just about gone. And now knowing what I know thanks to their help I can tackle them right at the start. Enjoying my working out routines and not spending my precious time in the dark, silent world.

 

Please leave your comments below and make a requests to assist with your migraine headaches. 

 

 
 

Home

Once again I sit here listening to music getting into the mindset of writing my thoughts, when a particular song comes to mind. Home by Phillip Phillips. In this song the lyrics are “Settle down, it’ll all be clear. Don’t pay no mind to the demons. They fill you with fear. The trouble it might drag you down. If you get lost, you can always be found. Just know you’re not alone. Cause I’m gonna make this place your home. “

I have been doing the Body By Fadi Fast Track program now for an incredible 9 months. In those 9 months my coach Fadi Malouf  has has taken me from a world of the unknown to a world of  Health Nutrition and Fitness and made me feel very much at home. I have been sober for nine months now. Free of smoking for three months. I am so far from that person I was just 9 short months ago.

Back in September if someone told me I would be having a complete home gym in my home I would have said that would be awesome. But 9 months ago if someone told me I would be at a gym working along side the same people who scared me, I would have assumed you were drinking heavily at that moment. But that is exactly what I am doing. When I wrote a blog here 6 months ago I was so afraid of walking into a gym. I joined one and after several “I can do this” to myself. I Love it. Using the Virtual Trainer is fun and easy. Yep! Easy!!!! I track my progress with every exercise Fadi assigns. This virtual trainer is one cool phone app.

Fadi has taken this once under achiever in life and shown through this amazing Body By Fadi Fast Track program. Anything is possible. Goals can be and will be met. I started this program weighing in at 129 lbs. with a goal of making it to 150lbs with his nutritional guidance I achieved that. Eating healthy clean foods. No fast foods, no junk foods, no chips or sodas or anything processed.  I struggled along the way but never once gave up. I was going to get there. Now that I am there I still have high goals to reach.

One of my biggest enemies was myself,  my self-esteem, my self-worth,  always targets by “haters” trying to burst my bubble along the way. Fadi, the big brother type made sure I never lost belief in myself, by keeping me motivated with Facebook posts. His own words of encouragement and making sure no matter what was happening, no matter how hard things were, I was never going to be left alone to lose sight of the “big picture.”

Along with helping me understand fitness and nutrition, Fadi has shown me a path I of all people never saw coming. The want to help others who were in the same boat as I am (or was at some point) in. I am now enrolled in getting my sports nutrition certification. To teach others what I was taught. Simply eating right is the ONE factor (of many) you can control in  staying healthy and fit. It’s all a matter of knowing whats going in your body. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients there’s a pretty good chance your body won’t make due with it.  I hope to be working along side Fadi after this process is done.

So you see now why this Song “Home” is so fitting to me and the Body By Fadi Fast Track Program. This Amazing man has shown me a home that I was once afraid of. A lifestyle to which I have become so accustomed to. He has made me know  I have to fight off the demons of the way I was. All I have to do is look forward and know I have come such a long way and fought through so much. His words that’s started it all ” You can go back to the way you were, or move forward and never look back,”  is still standing strong in my mind.

One last thing. If a year long program seems a bit long. Trust me in 9 months from now you’ll be saying “Dang  only 3 months left but I am having too much fun”

Thank You for listening and well  WELCOME HOME!

 JayBird 🙂

 

The Healthy Benefits of Pears

The Healthy Benefits of Pears

Pears are in season! They are sweet, delicious and richly flavored pears offer the cPearsrunchiness of apples yet are as juicy as peaches and nectarines.

Pears are packed with health benefiting nutrients such as dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins, which are necessary for optimum health.

Pears are a good source of dietary fiber and regular eating of this fruit may offer protection against colon cancer. Most of the fiber in them is non soluble polysaccharide (NSP), which functions as a good bulk laxative in the gut. Additionally, the gritty fiber content binds to cancer-causing toxins and chemicals in the colon, protecting its mucous membrane from contact with these compounds.

In addition, pear fruit is one of the very low calorie fruits, provides 58 calories per 100g. Just a few sections a day in the diet can bring significant reduction in weight and blood LDL cholesterol levels.

They contain good quantities of vitamin C. Fresh fruits provide about 7% of RDA per 100 g.

They are moderate sources of antioxidant flavonoids phyto-nutrients such as beta-carotene, lutein and zea-xanthin. These compounds, along with vitamin C and A, help the body protected from harmful free radicals.

The fruit is a good source of minerals such as copper, iron, potassium, manganese and magnesium as well as B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6).

Although not well documented, pears are among the least allergenic of all fruits and are therefore recommended by health practitioners as a safe alternative in the preparation of food products for allergy sufferers.

Since several of the vitamins and minerals are concentrated in significant quantities just underneath the skin, pears should be eaten as a whole along with its skin to get maximum benefits. 

Here is a delicious recipe for a low-fat Pear and Spinach Salad.

This is a nice fall salad that makes use of wonderfully fragrant ripe pears. The hardest thing about making this pear and spinach salad is not eating the pears ahead of time. Feel free to add some slivered red onion or a half cup of sliced mushrooms or a tablespoon of crumbled feta cheese to this delicious salad to contrast the sweetness of the pears, raisins or cranberries.

 Ingredients:Pear and Spinach Salad photo 2

•1 10 ounce package baby spinach

•3 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and sliced

•1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

•1/4 cup chopped walnuts

•2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

•3 tbsp white wine vinegar

•1 tbsp lemon juice

•Pinch of Himalayan salt (optional)

 Preparation:

Wash and dry spinach and place in large bowl with pear slices. Sprinkle raisins and walnuts on top. Whisk oil, vinegar, lemon and salt and drizzle over salad.

Serves 4-6

Per Serving: Calories 164, Calories from Fat 46, Total Fat 5.2g (sat 0.5g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 39mg, Carbohydrate 26.6g, Fiber 3.8g, Protein 2.8g

Formula 5/3/12 Fat Burning Success Formula

Formula 5/3/12 Fat Burning Success Formula

Formula 5/3/12 is your fat loss success formula: Eat 5 meals a day every 3 hours with a 12 hour fast. 

This formula is not only good for fat burning but those seeking muscular gain can also benefit from eating 5 or 6 meals every day.

Reasons To Eat 5 or 6 Meals Each Day

  • Speeds up metabolism.
  • Long term consumption of hard to digest large meals that are poor nutrient dense meals causes your body to “shut” down and hibernate. When this occurs the body stores more of your consumed meals as fat and stores toxins that are hidden inside of the processed foods you consume inside of your fat tissue.
  • Diminishes the desire to overeat.
  • Puts less stress on your colon.
  • Easier for your body to digest.
  • Stabilize blood sugar levels. 

Success Tips

  • Use a timer: your watch, smart phone, tablet, computer or other timer and set it to beep every 3 hours. Eat when it tells you to eat.
  • Pre cook and pre package your food and keep it on hand.
  • Carry easy to eat foods everywhere you go: Boiled eggs, healthy supplements, fruits and vegetables are good examples.
Apricot Granola Bars

Apricot Granola Bars

Homemade Granola Bars For The Kids (Or You!)

Apricot Granola Bars

Apricot Granola Bars

Apricot Granola Bars

 The ultimate satisfaction is when I make something nutritious for my kids and they gobble it up and ask for more. I knew this would be a winner just by looking at the recipe; my kids were standing in front of the oven waiting for these babies to come out. I got the original recipe from Vanilla & Spice. I didn’t change much either, just the type of fruit I used , type of salt, and type of sweetener. These bars are chewy, crunchy, and sweet. Oh and they make the house smell divine!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. raw almonds

1/4 c. dates, chopped

1/4 c. dried apricots (make sure there’s no sugar or sulfur added)

1 c. quick oats

2 tbsp. dry millet

1/4 c. mixed seeds (half pumpkin and half sunflower-unsalted)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. pink himalayan salt

2 tbsp. ground flax seed

1/2 c. almond butter

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. honey (optional)*

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare an 8 x 8 pan by lining with parchment paper. Place almonds, dates, and apricots in a food processor until roughly chopped). Transfer to a bowl and add oats, millet, seeds, cinnamon, salt, and flax. Use a whisk to mix thoroughly. Place almond butter and mashed bananas together in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for 15 more seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and honey. Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until evenly coated. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press down firmly with spatula. Bake for 22-27 minutes, until edges are brown and top is firm to the touch. Cool completely, then slice into 8 bars.

*If I was making these for myself, I would leave the honey out to make them less sweet. Macros below include the recipe WITH the honey.

Macros per bar: 285k cals, 15.9g fat (1.1g sat, 3.2g poly, 6.1g mono), 31.7g carbs (6.9g fiber, 12.5g sugar), 8.3g protein, 62.2mg sodium, 205.2mg potassium

References:

Vanilla & Spice – Healthy Treats and Vegetarian Eats

Fadi Malouf – Nutritionist and Personal Trainer

 

 

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

Drink Your Fruits and Veggies

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

I can’t believe I let the whole summer go by without posting a smoothie recipe. What was I thinking?! Well, better late than never. This one is worth the wait. There’s lots of fruit and veggies in this drink; along with healthy fats, anti-inflammatory and detox properties, and an energy boost. It’s so refreshing too. I’ve had one three days in a row and honestly, its been the highlight of my day. You might say I need to get a life if this drink is the highlight of my day or you may just need to try it yourself and see if it doesn’t have the same effect on you. For real, do it. Now.

Ingredients:

1 c. unsweetened almond milk

1 c. kale, chopped and packed

2 c. spinach, packed

2 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 lemon, peeled

1.5 c frozen blueberries

1 c. frozen mango chunks

15 g raw ginger

1/4 avocado

Preparation:

Using your food processor or blender (I have a Ninja), begin by adding the almond milk and the greens. Blend until liquid. Continue adding ingredients and blending along the way until you’ve added everything. Be sure not to overheat your machine; stop every little bit to give your machine a break and to scrape the sides. This makes two servings and looks even more appetizing in an adorable mason jar. Drink one immediately and share the other with a friend. Or do like I do, and save it for later by stashing it in the back of the refrigerator where nobody else will find it.

Macros per one out of two servings: 170k cals, 6.2g fat (.7g sat, .6g poly, 2.1g mono), 33.5g carbs (8.9g fiber, 19.2g sugar), 4.4g protein, 132.1mg sodium, 659.8mg potassium

References:

Fadi Malouf – Nutritionist and Personal Trainer

 

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