I-Supplements Blog | Nutrition, Training, Supplement & Breaking Health News from i-Supplements.com

Pycnogenol to reduce and prevent Brown Spots

Recently, Dr. Oz reported that by taking 50 mg of Pycnogenol twice a day can help to eliminate and prevent brown spots on skin.  Pycnogenol also comes in crème form which can help as well when applying directly on the skin.

Pycnogenol is a water extract  from the bark of the French maritime pine grown over the coastal region of southwest France. The healing powers of pine bark have been used for centuries. In 1534, French explorer Jacques Cartier and his crew are believed to have been nursed back to health by local natives after suffering from deadly scurvy. They drank prepared teas and other concoctions using the pine needles and tree bark to relieve the scurvy, improve wound healing and various other ailments. The extract has four basic properties – it’s a powerful antioxidant, acts as a natural anti-inflammatory, selectively binds to collagen and elastin, and finally, it aids in the production of endothelial nitric oxide which helps to vasodilate blood vessels.

Other benefits of Pycnogenol include:

cardiovascular health
cognitive function
diabetes health
inflammation
sports nutrition
asthma
allergy relief
menstrual disorders

As one of the most potent natural scavenger of free radicals, Pycnogenol mops-up all kinds of aggressive radicals, before they cause any damage by oxidative stress. Pycnogenol boosts the immune system as well as strengthens blood vessel walls and capillaries. It supports a better circulation by preventing stress-induced constriction of arteries and blood clotting. Additionally the extract contains substances, which act against cramps.

Jill Purvis – i-Supplements.com

Differences between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

There are definite differences between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. Type 1, also referred to as juvenile onset diabetes, occurs typically before the age of 20. Individuals with Type 1 diabetes are typically thin. The cause of Type 1 diabetes is that the pancreas, the organ that secretes insulin, is destroyed by autoantibodies, that’s why people with Type 1 diabetes always need insulin, either injected or through an insulin pump. Type 1 diabetes occurs in about 10-15 percent of all the diabetics in the country.

The most common type of diabetes is Type 2 is also called Adult Onset Diabetes. Type 2 diabetics are usually heavy and typically diagnosed after the age of 35. Now, the cause of type 2 diabetes is quite different from type 1. The cause of Type 2 diabetes is a medical condition called “insulin resistant”.  In fact, in the early stages of Type 2 diabetes, there’s plenty of insulin around, it just doesn’t work well. Lifestyle changes are usually the first treatment to ward off Type 2. Oral medications may be prescribed and it is not uncommon for someone with Type 2 diabetes to eventually require insulin, either with or without the oral medications.

Now, Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 85 to 90 percent of all the diabetics in the country. The other important thing that needs to be said is that Type 2 diabetes is associated with heart disease, and that’s why it’s so important to not only treat the glucose levels, but also to attack blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well. We know that Type 2 diabetes runs very strongly from generation to generation, and we also know that we can prevent Type 2 diabetes if we recognize it at an early stage.

The last important thing to mention about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is that you can get any type of diabetes at any age. That’s very important and that’s why the American Diabetes Association changed the name from ‘juvenile onset’ to ‘Type 1,’ and ‘adult onset’ to ‘Type 2.’

Jill Purvis - i-Supplements.com

Mission NOT Impossible – Log 68

Day 184, May 14, 2012

Good Morning everyone!  Today is going to be a beautiful day.  I don’t have a lot to do so it’s going to be awesome!  I’m going on a walk with my best friend, Teresa.  We walked on Thursday and it felt great when we walked 4 miles.  Saturday my daughter and I walked 5  miles and today we are shooting for 5 miles so cross your fingers and away I go.

9:00 am:  2 scoops of Cookies and Cream Ultimate Muscle Protein by Beverly International with 3 Colostrum by TBR Labs, 1 L-Carnitine Plus Raspberry Ketones and 1 Dymatize Tonalin CLA and water.

1:00 pm:  Chicken salad, carrots, celery and cucumbers, 1 L-Carnitine Plus Raspberry Ketones by Top Secret Nutrition and 1 Dymatize Tonalin CLA with water.

We did it!  We decided to walk just a little further and it was great.  We walked 5.4 miles and it took us an hour and 48 minutes.  I am one tired puppy though!  I wish I could explain with words the feeling of euphoria I feel when I walked into my driveway after that long walk.  It was so exhilarating.  Of course Teresa was all peppy when she walked into the driveway but hey one day that is so going to be me.  She weighs over 90 pounds less than I do and she always looks perfect.  And she is super nice, unless you make her really mad.  LOL!  The point is that even though I am totally exhausted when I finish this walk with my Bestie I am still finishing!  And she looks great but she isn’t happy with how she looks either so that stands to reason, “Are we ever going to be happy with how we look?”  I keep telling her that she looks great but it will not do any good until the point in time that she feels like she looks good.  As we all know ladies we are rarely happy with ourselves.  I am glad to say with every step I take I feel so much better with myself.  That is metaphorically true also.  I still have many steps to go before I obtain my healthy lifestyle goal.  No matter how many times I stumble I will pick myself up and continue on my journey.  I hope you will all do the same each time you stumble.  It’s totally worth it!

5:00 pm:  Turkey breast, steamed potatoes, broccoli and carrots, with fresh strawberries.  I took my 1 L-Carnitine Plus Raspberry Ketones and 1 Dymatize Tonalin CLA and drank water with fruit punch crystal light in it.  

I’m going to sit down and watch some tv and veg on the couch.  More later.

9:45 pm:  It’s time for my last meal.  I’m having 2 scoops of Chocolate UMP protein shake by Beverly with 3 TBR Labs Colostrum, and water.  Greg is at class taking his test for his class.  He has three more thursday classes and then he will be home with the family for a month.  Yay!  I for one cannot wait.  It’s going to be a nice change getting to spend time with him instead of being a single parent with a husband.  I hope all you ladies understand how lucky you are that you get to spend the afternoons with your hubby’s.  Sometimes we forget how lucky we are to have them in our lives.  Maybe tonight you should give them a hug just to let them know how much you love them because we never know when they won’t be there for one reason or another.  I hope you all have a great night and sweet dreams….

Day 185, May 15, 2012

Good Morning everyone! Today is going to be more of a down day than anything else.  I have to mow and pick things up but that’s pretty much it.  Greg is going to be home tonight for a change.  His Tuesday class is finished until July and he has three more Thursday classes then he is finished with those too.  I  cannot wait to get him to myself for a month. 

9:00 am:  2 scoops of Cookies and Cream Ultimate Muscle Protein by Beverly with 3 Colostrum by Total Body Research Labs, 1 L-Carnitine Plus Raspberry Ketones and 1 Dymatize Tonalin CLA and water.

12:00 pm:  Turkey with steamed potatoes and a 1/2 banana, 1 L-Carnitine Plus Rasberry Ketones by Top Secret Nutrition and 1 Dymatize Tonalin CLA with water.

And now it’s time for me to lay out in the sun.  We are going to Kings Island this Saturday so I need to make sure I am nice and Tan.  I have a tanning bed in the basement but there’s something about the sun that just makes you feel better.  More later.

5:00 pm:  Turkey breast, steamed broccoli, onions and carrots.  I took my 1 L-Carnitine Plus Raspberry Ketones and 1 Dymatize Tonalin CLA and drank water.  

5:30 pm:  It’s time for me to go for a walk.  I’m going on a cat hunt.  My daughter, Breanna, has this stupid cat that I am pretty sure is mentally handicapped.  His name is Tritty and he went outside to play and now we cannot find him.  I have been looking for him for over an hour, walking up and down the road yelling for him.   Ugh I hate this cat!

Ok.  We found Tritty.  My amazing husband went into the woods across the road and tried to catch the stupid thing.  He cried and cried and cried and then ….ran away from him.  Have I said lately how much I hate that cat!

8:45 pm:  Well we are still trying to find that stupid cat.  He has been less than a foot from the road but then every time we try to get him he runs away.  I have my son sobbing, my daughter sobbing and this stinking cat crying!  Geez!

9:00 pm:  FINALLY!  We finally got Tritty in the house.  I am embarassed to say that I had to go to the edge of the road and MEOW!  Yep, you heard me correctly.  I said I had to Meow and guess what he came out and my daughter grabbed him.  My brother-in-law lives next door to us and I saw him stop and look at me while I was “talking” with our Cat.  I guess the question should really be if I’m not a little touched in the head.  Now since I’ve been in the woods with the poison ivy surrounding me I had better go into the house and get a shower. 

9:30 pm:  It’s finally time for my last meal.  I’m having my 2 scoops of Chocolate UMP protein shake with 3 Colostrum bt Total Body Research Labs and my water.  I am extremely tired and ready for bed.  Greg and I have to go to Indy tomorrow for a doctor appointment and then we are going shopping for stuff for my 40th bday party.  Greg has decided he is going to throw me a big bash.  Although I really do NOT want to celebrate my old age I guess we are going to do just that.

It is time for me to go to bed after the crazy feline fiasco.  I hope you all have a great night and sweet dreams…

Day 186, May 16, 2012

Good Morning everyone!  Today is going to be a wonderful day!  Greg and I are going to take the convertible up to Indy and have lunch.  Our weekly date is going to be a little earlier this week.  More later.

9:00 am:  2 scoops of Cookies and Cream Ultimate Muscle Protein by Beverly International with 3 TBR Labs Colostrum, 1 L-Carnitine Plus Rasberry Ketones and 1 Dymatize Tonalin CLA, coffee and water.

1:00 pm:  Grilled chicken, garden salad and a fruit cup 1 L-Carnitine Plus Rasberry Ketones by Top Secret Nutrition and 1 Dymatize Tonalin CLA with water.

Today has been a great day!  We had a nice lunch and I am happy to say I drank my water with lemon.  I have been trying really hard to quit drinking diet pepsi.  It’s been a struggle but I am conquering it.  Yay me!

6:00 pm:  We made chicken and veggie kbobs.  We put chicken breast, mushrooms, onions, red peppers and green peppers on the grill.  I made some brown rice and it was totally delicious.   I took my 1 L-Carnitine Plus Raspberry Ketones and 1 Dymatize Tonalin CLA and drank water with fruit punch crystal light in it.   Again I skipped the diet pepsi.  It’s getting easier to skip it.

9:00 pm:  It’s time for my last meal.  I’m having 2 scoops of Chocolate UMP protein shake by Beverly with 3 Colostrum by Total Body Research Labs, and water.  Today was just what I needed.  I love spending time with Greg.  I recommend each and every one of you ladies to go and spend some extra “couple” time with your husbands.  You will be shocked at how much better things will be.  I think they need that extra attention sometimes when life smacks them in the face day in and day out.  I’ve been with my husband, Greg, for almost 23 years, we’ve been married 19 years as of June 12 and thanks to our “couple” time we are just like newlyweds.  I have an amazing life and amazing family and thanks to  I-Supplements, I’m on my way to a new healthy life so that I can continue to enjoy what I am so lucky to have for many years to come.  Thanks!  Have a great night and sweet dreams…

Laura Meyer

Whats the single best thing to do to battle obesity?

Stop drinking sugar-sweetened beverages! Soda and other sugary drinks are the number one source of calories in Americans typical diet. It’s the only individual food that has been directly linked to obesity.  These empty calorie drinks are quickly making us fat.

Another reason to avoid this diet trap is there are absolutely no nutritional calories in these sugary drinks at all. Soda, energy drinks, sports drinks and also some juices are included.  These empty calories are part of our thirst mechanism which doesn’t help to satisfy our hunger mechanisms.  So no matter how much you drink, typically that will be added to the normal amount of calories you eat which equals weight gain. Instead of satisfying a sweet tooth, soft drinks may do just the opposite. Several studies found that the caloric increase is actually greater than that contained in the soda, raising the possibility that soft drinks increase hunger, decrease satiety or simply calibrate people to a high level of sweetness that generalizes to preferences in other foods.

Full-calorie soft drinks are also linked with reduced intake of milk and fruit and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. “Recommendations to reduce population soft drink consumption are strongly supported by the available science,” concludes the review of 88 studies.  The “most striking link” was between soft drink consumption and the incidence of type 2 diabetes, according to the reviewers. In a study of 91,249 women followed for eight years, those who consumed one or more soft drinks per day were twice as likely as those who consumed less than one per month to develop diabetes.

So if you want to make yourself and your family healthier, stop buying the pop. Water is always your best bet.  It really is a no-brainer.

Jill Purvis - i-Supplements.com

Mung Beans for Weight Loss?

Mung beans are small green legumes. Legumes come from the pods of plants in the Leguminosae family and also the Fabaceae family. When sprouted, mung beans are usually just called bean sprouts. Like many other legumes, the mung bean can be eaten raw when sprouted, or else eaten cooked with the skin on or off. Unlike many other beans, the mung bean is quite easy on the digestive tract and doesn’t usually cause a gassy reaction.

Cooked mung beans can be delicious with spices and seasonings added to them and can be used in soups and casseroles. It’s important not to overcook, they take less than a minute to stir fry. Nutrients are lost when overcooking occurs.  Egg rolls, stir-fries and many other Chinese dishes use the sprouted form of mung beans.

Legumes such as mung beans are a great alternative protein for vegetarians and those on strict budgets since they pack a lot of protein for the price. Mung beans are also quite high in potassium, fiber, magnesium and B vitamins. They also make an excellent diet food since one cup of mung beans is less than 30 calories.

Mung bean sprouts look grayish-yellow in color.  Soaking them overnight and  allowing them to sprout for a couple of days is all it takes. The sprouting can increase their nutritional value and make them even easier on the digestive system. Bean sprouts are a good source of vitamin C and make a nutritious addition to sandwiches and salads.

Mung Bean Soup (recently featured on a Dr. Oz Show)

Ingredients
 
1 cup whole green mung beans – soaked overnight
2 cup water + 1/2-1 to taste tsp. salt- to cook beans in pressure cooker
2 cup water – to achieve the soup
1 tbsp sunflower oil or ghee
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp hing (known as asafoetida in the West)
1 bay leaf                                                                 
1/2 tsp Turmeric                                                        
1 tsp mixed cumin and coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp ginger – chopped
1/2 tsp garlic – chopped
1 tsp or to taste Salt
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp raw sugar cane (optional)

Prep Time: 45 minutes
 
Directions
 
Soak the mung beans overnight in water. Clean and finely grind ginger and garlic. Drain the mung beans, wash them two times and cook in a pressure cooker with the indicated amount of water until tender. It takes around 25 minutes, according to your pressure cooker. (The beans have to be broken.) If you use a regular pot, it will take 40-45 minutes for the beans to be fully cooked. Heat the oil or ghee in a large deep saucepan and add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds pop, add hing, bay leaf, turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger and a pinch of black pepper. Mix well and do not allow to burn. Place the cooked beans with the fresh water and the remaining ingredients into the saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer for a few minutes more. Add Lemon.

Jill Purvis – i-Supplements.com

Lemongrass Oil to Repel Mosquitoes

Are you the one person who always gets bit by the pesky insect while others seem unfazed? Were you told it is due to the fact that you have sweet blood? Dr. Oz says NO –sweet blood is a myth! Dr. Oz says mosquitoes can track you up to 160 feet away. When a mosquito stings you, it gets its tentacles inside you and attacks that blood. When its saliva hits you, your body reacts, which is the itchy feeling you get from the bite. When it bites, a mosquito sucks your blood into their stomach. When they taste your blood, it pulls their tentacle out of you. (and then you probably swat it and kill it). Once the mosquito has your blood inside, that’s when the problems arise according to Dr. Oz.

Mosquitoes are attached by:

A person’s body odor
A person wearing dark colors
A person’s breath – mosquitoes love carbon dioxide

Dr. Oz comes to the rescue with not only a homemade insect repellent with sun protection. Lemon grass oil is already contained in many all-natural bug sprays. To make your own solution, add several drops of lemon grass oil to sunscreen. This way you’ll get protection from the sun and the mosquitoes.

Jill Purvis – i-Supplements.com

Glucomannan for Appetite Suppression

Dr. Oz recently recommended taking 1 gram of Glucomannan three times a day before meals.  According to Dr. Oz, Glucomannan will act as a thickening agent in the stomach and will absorb any stomach fluids to make an individual feel fuller longer. Glucomannan is a water-soluble substance that is considered a dietary fiber.  The supplement has been marketed to those individuals who are at risk or suffer from constipation, obesity, high cholesterol, acne and type 2 diabetes. It has also been used for an appetite suppression and weight management.

Glucomannan is the main ingredient in shirataki noodles and konnyaku which are traditional Japanese foods.  These have been staples in the Japanese diet for centuries. These products are now being marketed for weight loss and other health benefits in the United States and worldwide due to the low calorie count.

Glucomannan is recommended to be taken with at least 8 ounces of water.  This product should NOT be taken before bedtime. The risk of taking Glucomannan could possibly include choking and/or blockage of the throat, esophagus or intestine.

Jill Purvis – i-Supplements.com

Grapeseed Oil for Weight Loss

Grapeseed Oil is basically fruit oil but is also commonly referred to as vegetable oil.  Grapeseed oil is high in linoleic acid, part of the family of oleic acids. Oleic acid has been shown to release OEA in the intestines which signal the brain that you are full.  Grapeseed oil also helps to reduce body fat which in turn promotes insulin resistance.  Dr. Oz recently prescribed that individuals have two teaspoons of grapeseed oil two hours prior to lunch every day to help with weightloss.

As an appetite suppressant, grapeseed oil slows down the stomach from emptying. The grapeseed oil will coat the lining of the stomach and churn food slower to expand your stomach. To maximize their health benefits, Dr. Oz says good oils need to be used properly. “Keep it in a dark bottle or in your refrigerator—that’s how to keep it healthy so it doesn’t go rancid,” says Dr. Oz. “Healthy oils are delicate, you have to treat them delicately.”

Jill Purvis - i-Supplements.com

Crockpot Chicken & Salsa

I use this to fill whole wheat tortillas for dinner, then use it chilled to top romaine lettuce for a southwest salad for lunch the next day. This 4 ingredient recipe is one of my family’s favorites!

1 jar salsa (choose your heat)
1 envelope lower sodium taco seasoning
3-4 chicken breast
Can of black beans (rinsed)

I always use crockpot liners to make clean up easy! Mix the salsa and seasoning in the bottom of crockpot.  Add raw chicken breast, then top with black beans.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Shred the chicken in the crockpot. Mix thoroughly and serve with 100% whole wheat tortillas.  Top with your favorite toppings.

Jill Purvis - i-Supplements.com

Chromium Polynicotinate Fights Belly Fat

Dr. Oz recently spoke about the use of Chromium Polynicotinate to help reduce the size of your waist. It improves the sensitivity to insulin, makes the insulin work better.  This will help you to lose weight.   By regulating blood sugar levels, this supplement can also help to prevent diabetes.  He recommends 200mcg (micro-gram) per day. Chromium Polynicotinate is a mineral found in many dietary supplements.

Chromium Polynicotinate may be potentially harmful if you have these conditions:

Kidney or Liver Disease
Diabetes
Hypoglycemia
Mental Illness (drug interactions)
Allergies
Pregnant or Breastfeeding

Be sure to check with your health care provider if you have any of these conditions before taking Chromium Polynicotinate.

Jill Purvis – i-Supplements.com