My friend dropped her Blackberry in her kid’s pool the other day. She rushed to pick it up from the water, but it was already we. It showed signs of life so she did the emergency procedure for water-damaged electronics: the rice bowl. She left it overnight and the next day the phone was working like nothing happened. Now, what did the rice do to save the Blackberry?

The absorbent nature of rice can be harnessed to dry out your soaked gear. It almost acts like a sponge. But beware—the same thing happens in your belly! When you consume rice, it sucks a lot of liquid from your body and keeps it inside your tummy. That’s why you feel bloated after eating starchy carbs (the same goes for pasta, bread etc.) You feel heavy, slow, tired and sleepy. But it doesn’t end there. It also affects your heart, especially in women, as some studies show.

The glycemic index ranks on a scale from 1 to 100 how quickly (or slowly) carbohydrates affect your blood-sugar levels. The glycemic index of nearly all rice is high. It is very difficult to identify lower glycemic rice by looking at the label. The higher the Amylose content, the lower the glycemic index. The problem is Amylose content is not revealed on labels. In addition, cooking methods affect the glycemic response of the rice. Rice cooked too long will have an elevated glycemic response. Contrary to popular belief, brown rice does not have a lower glycemic index than white rice.

How does rice affect the heart? Only carbohydrates with a high glycemic index appear to hurt the heart. Carbs with a low glycemic index were not associated with an increased risk of heart disease, which suggests that the increased risk is caused “not by a diet high in carbohydrates, but by a diet rich in rapidly absorbed carbohydrates.”

In the end, do not eliminate rice from your diet. Eat in moderation and for fuel, because that’s what rice is: energy food. If you do not use it in the right way, it will eventually accumulate as fat. Or better yet, stick to brown rice (see our May newsletter for a great recipe for delicious tasting brown rice: http://www.bodymindarchitects.com/newsletter/2010_may.html).

Fuel up for a hard workout or a long run. Eat smart and stay healthy!

A good fiend of mine asked me a while ago what is the difference between a diet and nutrition. Diet is a part of the nutrition. Here’s the explanation: 

Nutrition is the science that studies the process by which living organisms acquire all the things that are necessary for them to live and grow. Nutrition focuses on the role of nutrients, which are defined as substances that the body cannot make on its own and include things like vitamins, minerals, and certain macromolecules. Basically, nutrition consists of diet (what you take in) and metabolism (what happens to it after it enters your body).

Diet is what you eat. There are two aspects to your diet: what foods you eat and how much of them you eat. To lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, you need to pay attention to both factors. If you eat all the right foods but they are in quantities that are too large, you will take in too many calories and will gain weight. If you eat the right amount of calories but you get them from only one food group, you will lack essential nutrients which may cause serious health problems.

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Alkalizing the body sheds fat fast! The body is naturally acidic. However, the foods we eat add to this acidity and the fat in our body stores the additional acid, which results in overweight problems and an unhealthy body. To protect against acid buildup, the body begins to create and store fat.

Even if you are on a weight loss diet and you exercise, your body will try to hold on to this fat because it is important for protection against acids. That is why many people whom restore alkalinity in their body find it incredibly easier to lose weight.

There are certain foods that are alkaline and help to flush the acid and fat from the body. Tip – Most green vegetables are high alkaline. Some really high acid foods are: Fast food,milk, eggs, cream, cheese, pork and red meat.

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If someone would’ve asked you: “Would like some liquid salad?”, I am sure you’d give that person a second look. But that’s exactly what you are going to hear from Jason Green, founder of Juicy Green’s Micro Juicery. I was fortunate enough to experience it in first person and the taste is nothing short of amazing. Refreshing, invigorating, simply yummy!

I’ve know Jason for only a few years, but since day one I noticed that this guy knows his way in the kitchen whether it’s food or drinks. Whenever we spoke about nutrition, it was always in terms of organic and fresh.  When he said he was going to make the most delicious and healthiest juices on the planet, I knew he was telling me the truth. Being first at the market at 4AM to get the freshest fruits and veggies is a testament of his love for what he does. It only takes a sip to understand that.

Juicy Green’s Juicery is a Premium Cold-Pressed Juice Company. JGJ uses a cold press machine which extracts the juice from the fruits and veggies which maintains most of the enzymes compared to centrifugal juicing which oxides and aerates the juice and harms beneficial enzymes. The fruits and veggies they use are: Kale, Romaine, Spinach, Cucumber, Parsley, Wheatgrass, Mint, Carrots, Beets, Apple, Pineapple, Pear, Lemon, Ginger and Coconut.

I had a chance to taste a few juices: Refresher, Generator and Liquid Salad. The Liquid Salad juice has Kale, Romaine, Spinach, Cucumber, Parsley, Carrots and Beets. The Refresher has young Coconut Water, Pineapple, Cucumber and Aloe Vera. My personal favorite, The Generator has Pineapple, Pear, Wheatgrass and Mint. The taste is nothing short of spectacular. The menu is quite extensive and has more than 10 unique juice combinations. JGJ uses the finest and freshest ingredients and really delivers the best quality juices and service.

For more information, contact Jason at juicygreen422@gmail.com or call: 323 304 0062. Enjoy!

Spase, BMA

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If you’re a guy and soy is a big part of your diet, you must read this!

http://www.menshealth.com/bestfoods/food_features/Is_This_the_Most_Dangerous_Food_for_Men.php

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Here it is everyone. In this edition you’ll find articles on the importance of Protein, our 50-to-60 Phylosophy, the Santa Monica Steps workout, and much more.

Just click on the link: http://www.bodymindarchitects.com/newsletter/2010_APRIL.html, or subscribe to it through our website: http://bodymindarchitects.com/.

Thank you and to your health!

BMA

@Yogahitch? What the heck is that, you might say. If you break it down, you have “yoga” and “hitch”.  It kinda sounds like yoga on the way. Well, pretty close…

A great friend of ours and client of BMA, Alycia Monet Denham, has come up with a genius accessory for all of you Yoga lovers. Who is Alycia? She is a very creative person, successful business woman and a great mom. On top of her yoga practice, being active and working hard kept her physique in a flawless shape. But, as it usually happens when having a baby, Alycia did gain some baby fat. Going back to her yoga practice was her first step towards getting back in shape. The creation of yogahitch came out of necessity for simplifying her yoga practice. Being an interior designer made the process from an idea to a real product much quicker. The rest is history.

Yogahitch provides a hip and practical way to bring your mat to and from your yoga studio, but it can also be used as your towel, a cushion and to assist with stretching during class. It’s a must have for anyone that does yoga. Try it, you’ll love it! 

For more information, visit: http://yogahitch.com/ 

To your health,

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