‘Just Noticing’: Observations Of A Blogger
Posted by Michelle Moquin on February 28th, 2010
- Just noticing, it has been way over a month without television. I am not missing it.
- Several times I have noticed that when some women refer to their husbands on my blog with the statement, “My husband is rich”, or “I have a rich husband”, I always think, “Doesn’t that make you, the wife, rich too? Isn’t it your money too?”
- I witnessed an altercation between two friends the other day. Just noticing how some people that are quick to talk irresponsibly and insensitively towards others without a second thought, can be very sensitive and defensive when it comes to others giving them wise feedback about their actions, that could be very helpful if they just listen. However, their egos have a way of ‘getting in the way’ and not allowing them to possibly learn something about themselves. Interesting huh?
- I went to an event last night, a matchmaking event. No, I was not there ‘hooking up’. I was the hired Style Consultant assisting people with their image; their personal style. What I noticed is that most women really try to wear something that looks good on them, make an effort, and most men just don’t care that much.
- Just noticing, that sometimes when the obvious is staring at us, head on, up in our face, we just don’t see it.
No judgement…’Just noticing‘.
Readers: What have you noticed this week? Blog this BABE.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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February 28th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Michelle, I have noticed a few things myself: Since being disabled and not very mobile, I love any form of media that can bring me knowledge and information, including Scientific American Magazine, Science and Nature programs on TV, and the Internet News — especially Science and Technology — they fill me in on what is going on in science and technolog, which is changing constantly and causing Humans to depend on these many new toys.
I have noticed that all of these ways of receiving information are interesting to me.
I have noticed that I love knowing how things work, including Human anthropology. It helps me understand how we evolved into what we are today.
I have noticed that greed and selfishness are not confined to Humans. It is found in the Animal kingdom and even other sentient species not from here.
I have noticed that Humans can be very narrow minded and no matter how much proof is right in front of their eyes, they tend to deny the obvious because of the way they were raised and usually the religion they were raised in.
Those are just a few observations I have noticed.
HOWIE
February 28th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Michelle
Even in China you are a role model for females. That thing you did for your country was awesome!.
February 28th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I keep trying to say how awesome you are but I keep getting this Safari can’t open the page “http://blog.michellemoquin.com/” because the server unexpectedly dropped the connection. This sometimes occurs when the server is busy. Wait for a few minutes, and then try again.
But I keep trying
Jennifer
February 28th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
I was in the restaurant yesterday when I suddenly realized I desperately needed to pass gas. The music was really, really loud, so I timed my gas with the beat of the music..
After a couple of songs, I started to feel better. I finished my coffee, and noticed that everybody was staring at me….
Then I suddenly remembered that I was listening to my iPod.
February 28th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
You Can Cure Heart Disease
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD
In the mid-1980s, 17 people with severe heart disease had just about given up hope. They had undergone every available treatment, including drugs and surgery — all had failed.
The group had experienced 49 cardiovascular events, including four heart attacks, three strokes, 15 cases of increased angina and seven bypass surgeries. Five of the patients were expected to die within a year.
Twelve years later, every one of the 17 was alive. They had had no additional cardiovascular events. The progression of their heart disease had been stopped — and, in many cases, reversed.
Their angina went away — for some, within three weeks. In fact, they became virtually “heart attack–proof.” And there are hundreds of other patients with heart disease who have achieved the same remarkable results. What you need to know…
HOW THE DAMAGE IS DONE
Every year, more than half a million Americans die of coronary artery disease (CAD). Three times that number suffer heart attacks. In total, half of American men and one-third of women will have some form of heart disease during their lifetimes.
Heart disease develops in the endothelium, the lining of the arteries. There, endothelial cells manufacture a compound called nitric oxide that accomplishes four tasks crucial for healthy circulation…
Keeps blood smoothly flowing, rather than becoming sticky and clotted.
Allows arteries to widen when the heart needs more blood, such as when you run up a flight of stairs.
Stops muscle cells in arteries from growing into plaque — the fatty gunk that blocks blood vessels.
Decreases inflammation in the plaque — the process that can trigger a rupture in the “cap” or surface of a plaque, starting the clot-forming, artery-clogging cascade that causes a heart attack.
The type and amount of fat in the typical Western diet — from animal products, dairy foods and concentrated oils — assaults endothelial cells, cutting their production of nitric oxide.
Study: A researcher at University of Maryland School of Medicine fed a 900-calorie fast-food breakfast containing 50 grams of fat (mostly from sausages and hash browns) to a group of students and then measured their endothelial function.
For six hours, the students had severely compromised endothelial function and decreased nitric oxide production. Another group of students ate a 900-calorie, no-fat breakfast — and had no significant change in endothelial function.
If a single meal can do that kind of damage, imagine the damage done by three fatty meals a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.
PLANT-BASED NUTRITION
You can prevent, stop or reverse heart disease with a plant-based diet. Here’s what you can’t eat — and what you can…
What you cannot eat…
No meat, poultry, fish or eggs. You will get plenty of protein from plant-based sources.
No dairy products. That means no butter, cheese, cream, ice cream, yogurt or milk — even skim milk, which, though lower in fat, still contains animal protein.
No oil of any kind — not a drop. That includes all oils, even virgin olive oil and canola.
What you may not know: At least 14% of olive oil is saturated fat — every bit as aggressive in promoting heart disease as the saturated fat in roast beef.
A diet that includes oils — including monounsaturated oils from olive oil and canola oil — may slow the progression of heart disease, but it will not stop or reverse the disease.
Generally, no nuts or avocados. If you are eating a plant-based diet to prevent heart disease, you can have moderate amounts of nuts and avocados as long as your total cholesterol remains below 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). If you have heart disease and want to stop or reverse it, you should not eat these foods.
What you can eat…
All vegetables.
Legumes — beans, peas, lentils.
Whole grains and products that are made from them, such as bread and pasta — as long as they do not contain added fats. Do not eat refined grains, which have been stripped of much of their fiber and nutrients. Avoid white rice and “enriched” flour products, which are found in many pastas, breads, bagels and baked goods.
Fruits — but heart patients should limit consumption to three pieces a day and avoid drinking pure fruit juices. Too much fruit rapidly raises blood sugar, triggering a surge of insulin from the pancreas — which stimulates the liver to manufacture more cholesterol.
Certain beverages, including water, seltzer water, oat milk, hazelnut milk, almond milk, no-fat soy milk, coffee and tea. Alcohol is fine in moderation (no more than two servings a day for men and one for women).
SUPPLEMENTS
For maximum health, take five supplements daily…
Multivitamin/mineral supplement.
Vitamin B-12 — 1,000 micrograms (mcg).
Calcium — 1,000 milligrams (mg) (1,200 mg if you’re over 60).
Vitamin D-3 — l,000 international units (IU).
Flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed) — one tablespoon for the omega-3 fatty acids it provides. Sprinkle it on cereal.
THE CHOLESTEROL CONNECTION
If you eat the typical, high-fat Western diet, even if you also take a cholesterol-lowering statin drug, you will not protect yourself from heart disease — because the fat in the diet will damage the endothelium cells that produce nitric oxide.
In a study in The New England Journal of Medicine, patients took huge doses of statin drugs to lower total cholesterol below 150 but didn’t change their diets — and 25% experienced a new cardiovascular event or died within the next 30 months.
Recommended: Eat a plant-based diet, and ask your doctor if you should also take a cholesterol-lowering medication. Strive to maintain a total cholesterol of less than 150 and LDL (“bad” cholesterol) below 85.
MODERATION DOESN’T WORK
The most common objection physicians have to this diet is that their patients will not follow it. But many patients with heart disease who find out that they have a choice — between invasive surgery and nutritional changes that will stop and reverse the disease — willingly adopt the diet.
Why not eat a less demanding diet, such as the low-fat diet recommended by the American Heart Association or the Mediterranean Diet?
Surprising: Research shows that people who maintain a so-called “low-fat” diet of 29% of calories from fat have the same rate of heart attacks and strokes as people who don’t.
Plant-based nutrition is the only diet that can effectively prevent, stop and reverse heart disease. It also offers protection against stroke… high blood pressure… osteoporosis… diabetes… senile mental impairment… erectile dysfunction… and cancers of the breast, prostate, colon, rectum, uterus and ovaries.
Personal interviewed Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD, a surgeon, clinician and researcher at The Cleveland Clinic for more than 35 years. He has authored more than 150 scientific publications, including a 12-year landmark study showing that a plant-based diet can stop and reverse heart disease in severely ill patients. Dr. Esselstyn is an Olympic gold medalist in rowing and was awarded the Bronze Star as an army surgeon in Vietnam. He is author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure (Avery). http://www.heartattackproof.com.
February 28th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
I was called upon to rescue two aliens that were prisoners on a B-2 bomber. They were being transported to a secret location for interrogation.
I arrived in time to prevent the plane from taking off from Andersen air force base on Guam. The crew put up a bit of resistance, but I assured them that it was futile.
After the rescue the two aliens explained that they were investigating the Trench when the cognition suddenly left them. This tells me that earthlings have a means of incapacitating some aliens.
Trying that on the TAO could be fatal.
Forewarned is forearmed
Viv
February 28th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
The republicans are at it again. Trying to scare and muster up the people to squash health care. They are trying their best to save the day for the Insurance Industry.
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The “Bipartisan Healthcare Summit” Was a SHAM — Click Here to Tell Congress to VOTE NO on Obamacare
ALERT: Did you think that, just because Barack Hussein Obama called his meeting this week a “bipartisan healthcare reform summit,” that the Democrats were serious about starting over and including the Republicans’ ideas in their plans?
WRONG!When Sen. Lamar Alexander opened the President’s health care summit for the GOP by saying the Democrats should renounce the idea of using parliamentary tricks to pass health care, Obama concluded that the American people were not concerned with the arcane processes of the Senate and would be “comfortable with a majority vote.”
Sen. Alexander stated:
My request is this, that before we go further today, that the Democratic congressional leaders and you Mr. President, renounce this idea of going back to the Congress and jamming through on a partisan vote, through a little-used process we call reconciliation, your version of the bill.
Obama refused to renounce “reconciliation” to pass his plan! So, in other words, Obama is LYING about compromising on his healthcare plans, and Reid and Pelosi are preparing to use a parliamentary trick to ram ObamaCare down the throats of the American people!
IT’S TRUE — so WE have to make sure that Obama, Reid, and Pelosi FAIL in their trickery!
TELL CONGRESS TO REJECT SOCIALIZED HEALTH?CARE — BETTER KNOWN AS “OBAMACARE”:?SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!
Here’s the “trick” that Obama, Pelosi and Reid are planning to use to ram ObamaCare through: it’s called “reconciliation”. As the Wall Street Journal explains, “House Democrats would pass a series of ‘fixes’ to the Senate bill. The Senate would then pass the House reconciliation bill, sending amendments to President Obama to a bill that — strictly speaking — didn’t exist, because it hadn’t yet emerged from the House. The House would then retroactively pass the Senate bill as is.”
So by using the “reconciliation” process, the Senate will only need 51 votes to pass their socialized healthcare bill!
Regardless of the fact that the biggest reason Republican Scott Brown was elected to Ted Kennedy’s old Senate seat was because he promised to help kill ObamaCare — Democrats are still willing to use more corrupt tactics to get it passed! In fact, the liberals on the far left have their own interpretation of why Brown won: “people want more change… bolder change… more populism… and the public option is that in this healthcare fight.” Check out this YouTube video where they state very clearly that the socialized healthcare “public option” is “back on the table” and will be passed by using the “reconciliation process” — because in their minds, that’s what “Americans want”!
Are they serious about using this trick to pass their bill? You BET they are. Nancy Pelosi, on a conference call with bloggers, said, “We will not be deterred from this course of getting something done one way or another, and I’m hoping it will… be mainly by passing the comprehensive bill. That’s our plan.”
Democrat Rep. Charles Rangel of New York stated that they are looking to start the process soon, and that he believed both chambers could muster the votes needed for passage, despite virtually unanimous GOP opposition. And Harry Reid said a scenario in which the House produces a reconciliation package “seems like a strong possibility.” In fact, As of Thursday afternoon, 17 Senate Democrats were pushing Reid to use reconciliation rules to sidestep a Republican filibuster of health care reform.
We CAN still stop ObamaCare, by STOPPING the Democrats from using the “reconciliation” parliamentary trick… but we can’t do it without YOUR help!
TELL CONGRESS TO REJECT SOCIALIZED HEALTH?CARE — BETTER KNOWN AS “OBAMACARE”:?SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!
TAKE ACTION: It’s obvious that Barack Obama and House and Senate Democrats for their so-called “healthcare reform summit” to be nothing more than a SHAM, and NOT a genuine dialogue. But their game has been exposed. Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona told CNN that “they’ve devised the process by which they can jam the bill through that the president has supported in the past, without Republican ideas in it.” But the problem, Kyl said, is that “reconciliation is not the process for comprehensive bills like this. It’s for balancing the budget!”
We don’t have much time to stop the Democrats’ trickery in their march towards socialized healthcare. Congress returns from their President’s Day recess this coming week. We CANNOT let the radical liberals in Congress — and the White House — force this plan for socialized health care on the American people! That’s why we’ve set up our website to enable you to send a strong message to every single member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, OPPOSING this outrageous plan.
For about what it would cost you in time and telephone charges, you can send Blast Faxes to Democrats, Republicans, Independents — EVERYONE in BOTH houses of Congress, DEMANDING that they REJECT this socialized health care plan NOW!
TELL CONGRESS TO REJECT SOCIALIZED HEALTH?CARE — BETTER KNOWN AS “OBAMACARE”:?SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!
This fight CAN BE WON! Please, take action right away to STOP this bill in the U.S. Congress!
Sincerely,
William Greene, President
RightMarch.com PAC
P.S. We actually CAN have an impact on this! There are ELEVEN DEMOCRATS in the Senate alone who can be helped to “see the light” if we’re willing to “TURN UP THE HEAT”
on them! Are you willing to LIGHT THAT FIRE underneath Senators like Bayh, Byrd, Lieberman, Nelson, and at least seven others?
It’s just plain insulting that the Democrats would be having a bipartisan summit down at the White House if they’ve already decided on this other process by which they’re going to jam the bill through Congress. How stupid do they think the American people are???
NOW is the time for us to capitalize on this exposure, and STOP the Obamacare bill…
BUT WE CANNOT DO IT WITHOUT YOU!
Send your faxes right away to make sure every single Senator and Representative gets a STRONG message, to REJECT the socialized plan of “Obamacare” NOW — Thank you!
TELL CONGRESS TO REJECT SOCIALIZED HEALTH?CARE — BETTER KNOWN AS “OBAMACARE”:?SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!
As always, you can also send a FREE message directly to your Representative by clicking here, and to your Senators by clicking here. Thank you.
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Mike
February 28th, 2010 at 11:37 pm
Thanks Michelle
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Tsunami alert ends with ripple
BY AMRITHA ALLADI • PACIFIC DAILY NEWS • MARCH 1, 2010
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The 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile Saturday caused no more than a 6.3 inch ripple to Guam’s deeper exterior waters, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center based in Hawaii.
While the same tsunami warning had been issued to both Hawaii and Guam, the responses by residents of the two islands were starkly different.
Hawaii residents evacuated major beaches and cleared the highways, shopping malls and entertainment centers in preparation for the tsunami’s arrival; Guam residents meanwhile frolicked in the waters just hours before its scheduled approach.
According to Honolulu resident Rusmala Celes Cruz, that could be because Hawaii was devastated by a tsunami in 1960. This time, the local government didn’t want to take any chances, said Cruz, who is originally from Guam.
“They started sounding off the tsunami alert sirens every hour so people could start paying attention to the news,” she said. “They started informing everyone they would be closing all the tsunami inundation zones, letting everyone know to clear out (by) 10 a.m. The tsunami was scheduled to hit the Hawaiian islands starting at around 11.”
Honolulu’s thriving hubs, including the Ala Moana shopping center, Ward Entertainment Center and some Waikiki beaches had cleared out, she said, and police informed surfers that after 10:30 a.m., even the “front men” — that is, police and U.S. Coast Guard included — would be pulling back.
“There would be nobody out to save them,” Cruz said.
At first, Cruz didn’t think much of the tsunami warning. But when she saw how seriously officials were taking it, she too, became a bit nervous.
Boats were asked to be brought in from the harbors, and hotels along Waikiki were told to evacuate everyone in the first and second levels, Cruz added.
“I was starting to get a little more concerned,” Cruz said. “Closing down the freeways? That’s pretty serious.”
After having lived on Oahu for seven years, Cruz said she’d “never seen them prepare like this.” Thankfully for her, she lives on higher ground.
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Hafa adai
Anna
March 1st, 2010 at 8:56 am
Howie, Hafa adai
I’m getting more interested in this alien slant as I read about more and more transportation businesses popping up to bring more people to our tiny island.
I love Guam but what is the big attraction all of a sudden?
Freda
March 1st, 2010 at 8:59 am
I forgot to add an example of another new transport service bring people to our island.
———————
Horizon Lines Inc. will launch its own weekly trans-Pacific liner service to Guam and Asia from the West Coast in December.
Horizon currently calls on ports in China under a space-charter agreement with Maersk Line. That agreement expires Dec. 10.
“Our study of the market reveals an opportunity for a niche player that can offer quick transit times with the highest levels of service excellence,” says Chuck Raymond, chief executive of Charlotte-based Horizon. “Container rates in the Pacific tradelane have bottomed out and are rebounding. China’s economy is showing solid signs of recovery, and many major importers have reported that their service needs are not being met.”
Maersk Line is a division of the A.P. Moller?Maersk Group of Denmark. Maersk has long had a major presence in Charlotte, taking the 346,000-square-foot former Royal & SunAlliance USA headquarters office in SouthPark in 2008.
In addition, Horizon has signed a six-year terminal-services agreement with Virginia-based APM Terminals North America Inc., also a division of A.P. Moller?Maersk.
The previous contract with APM Terminals was slated to expire in December.
The agreement covers stevedoring and terminal services in Jacksonville, Fla.; Houston; Los Angeles; Tacoma, Wash.; and Elizabeth, N.J.
Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Horizon says the terminal agreement renewal and new Asia service will boost its cost savings and revenue growth.
The company (NYSE:HRZ) operates container ships and port terminals linking the continental United States with Hawaii, Guam, Micronesia, Puerto Rico and Alaska.
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So Howie, What else should we know?
Freda
March 1st, 2010 at 9:25 am
WOMAN’S PERFECT BREAKFAST
??She’s sitting at the table with her gourmet coffee.??
Her son is on the cover of the Wheaties box.??
Her daughter is on the cover of Business Week.
??Her husband is on the back of the milk carton. ??
March 1st, 2010 at 9:32 am
Zen Lill
I’m one of your exercise girls. It has been very successful following your advice for me. I look and feel so much better. I received this from another fan of yours.
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Simple Solutions to
Rein in Your Appetite
Dear Bill,
If you’re trying to lose weight, you surely know how difficult it is to make good food choices when you’re hungry. Here are some tips to help control your appetite naturally, so it doesn’t control you.
Try a Natural Appetite Suppressant Supplement
Researchers from the Dutch firm Loders Croklaan extracted a fatty acid, pinolenic acid, from pine nuts. When they gave 3 grams daily of this product (called PinnoThin™) to a group of 18 overweight women, it worked wonders as an appetite suppressant.
Within 30 minutes of taking the capsules, the women noticed a feeling of satiety or “fullness.” They also reported less hunger and consumed less food at mealtime. A closer look by the researchers revealed that taking the pinolenic acid and other pine nut oil components increased the release of two of the body’s natural appetite-suppressing hormones for as long as four hours. Cholecystokinin (CCK) increased by 60 percent and the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) increased by 25 percent. These are the hormones that tell your brain that you’re full—which, in turn, reduces your desire to eat.
PinnoThin is now available in many supplements and functional foods listed at http://www.pinnothin.com.
Drink a Protein Shake
Whey is as an excellent low-fat, low-carb source of nutritional protein. As a protein powder, it can be included in a filling, satisfying meal replacement drink that is ideal for weight-loss and muscle enhancing programs. One of the best things about a daily whey powder shake is that you can make it an integral part of your daily regimen instead of trying some bizarre fad diet that is either unhealthy or impossible to stay on long term.
When you drink a whey protein shake in the morning, it’s more than just the initial feeling of fullness that suppresses the urge to eat. Whey protein contains unique chains of 64 amino acids called glycomacropeptides that perform a wide variety of functions—just one of which is to help regulate appetite.
Glycomacropeptides are a very potent stimulator of the release of CCK, and one study reported that whey-derived glycomacropeptides increased the release of CCK by over 400 percent. The protein signals the brain that the body is full, which suppresses the appetite and results in a large reduction of food intake.
I’ve tried dozens of whey protein products over the years, and I can tell you they’re not all the same. It’s definitely one area where you have to pay a little more to get the ones that maintain their activity, mix easily with liquids, and have a taste and texture you can stomach. I routinely use and recommend a product called Designer Whey Protein. It’s a quality product that can be found in most health food stores and mail-order suppliers, including Nutrition Express, 800-338-7979 or http://www.nutritionexpress.com.
As a general daily dose, I recommend that most people take about 18 grams of high-quality whey protein a day. The easiest method I’ve found is to mix the powder with either skim milk (my favorite), water, juice, or other liquid, plus a little ice (if desired) in a blender and make a small health shake first thing in the morning. You can also experiment by adding various fresh or frozen fruits, fruit powders (et cetera) to the mix. It’s simple, painless, and a great way to start your morning.
Plan Your Meals in Advance
Planning out your meals and snacks in advance is an excellent way to avoid a willpower-killing appetite; knowing what you’re going to eat, when you’re going to eat it, and having that food available at that time eliminates your “need” for that candy bar or bag of chips to hold you over until dinner.
Enjoy a Hearty Breakfast
While you’re going through the trouble to plan your meals, plan to eat a protein-rich, hearty breakfast. I generally have my daily whey protein shake in the morning, but I often have it later in the day and eat a good breakfast that includes eggs (often with smoked salmon or kippers and avocado). One recent study documented the effect of two different breakfasts on 30 overweight women. Half the group had two scrambled eggs with two slices of toast. The other group had a bagel, 2 tablespoons of cream cheese, and 3 ounces of low-fat yogurt. The breakfasts had the same number of calories.
The women who ate the egg breakfast reported feeling fuller and ate 164 calories less for lunch than the bagel group. And during the next 36 hours they ate 400 fewer calories than those eating the bagels.
Avoid HFCS
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is undoubtedly a major contributing factor to the obesity epidemic, and not only because its inclusion in so many processed foods and sodas boosts calorie counts. Research shows that HFCS impairs your body’s ability to recognize when it is full.
Fructose doesn’t stimulate an increase in insulin the way most sugars do, nor does it cause an increase in the compound leptin—both of which signal the body’s central nervous system to stop eating. Fructose also increases the level of another compound, ghrelin, that enhances the desire to eat more. In simple terms, fructose completely disrupts your body’s natural ability to tell when you’re satisfied and should stop eating—which ultimately leads to weight gain and obesity.
Following these tips just might make the difference between your ability to stay on a healthy diet or get derailed by cravings.
Until next time,
Dr. David Williams
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What do you think?
Kate