There are many substances that can cause allergic responses…. some well-known ones are Pollen, Hay, Grasses, mold and animal hair. However, there are many other allergens that don’t always get the attention they deserve. These include (but are not limited to):

Personal care products (mostly anything with fragrance)

Environment toxins

Overexposure to the same food

Cigarette smoke

Heavy metals (Fillings)

Pesticides/Herbicides

Some of the above, like personal Care products and pesticides/herbicides, are things that many of us are exposed to on a daily basis.

Personal care products come across as very innocent and non-harmful items; unfortunately, they can be very detrimental to our health. Many products will have the word “fragrance” on the ingredient list. Sounds safe right? Turns out the term “fragrance”, which is usually a compound ingredient”, means it can be an innumerous amount of substances. Many of the substances that fall under the category “fragrance” can be considered poisonous and/or allergenic to humans. We are fortunate that a number of natural companies make less contaminated options for personal care that work great for the most part, however sometimes take some getting used to, but more importantly they don’t require you to sacrifice your health.

Pesticides/Herbicides are also chemicals we all should try and avoid. Many non-organic foods are heavily sprayed with these chemicals. Not one of the pesticides/herbicides that are used in conventional farming has ever being proven safe for human consumption.  In fact many of them are well known carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents.  Even the less poisonous pesticides/herbicides can cause chronic health issues like leaky gut syndrome, arthritis, asthma, osteoporosis, liver damage, kidney damage, etc.  On the environmental front these chemicals are also harming the soil we grow our food in, the ecosystems of surrounding areas, and the air we breathe in every day. This is why we should eat and support organic and locally grown produce when possible.

Many people with allergies tend to buy Anti-Histamines for allergy relief. Most over the counter anti-histamines have toxic substances that can also be toxic to our livers. However, like in the above examples the natural health industry has created some good natural anti-histamine in the form of Bioflavonoids like Quercetin, Vitamin C, and Nettle Tea. HYDRATION is another key, as dehydration instantly raises histamine levels in the body, so drink up.

We hope this information is useful for you.

Visit our Facebook page for more great tips, advice and product information!

http://www.facebook.com/FuelNanaimo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZKjUrZ0Xwcg

Fuel Supplements Vitamins Nutrition is proud to support a food philosophy that intergrates Organically grown non GMO produce and grains, Organic free range and grass fed livestock, and unrefined, unbleached essentials oils.

Fuel you life!

What you eat has a huge impact on how well your immune system is able to function. Eating whole, organic, nutrient-dense foods offers your body the building blocks it needs for optimal immunity—and optimal health—in any season.

1. Garlic—antimicrobial and stimulates the immune system
2. Fish oil—omega-3’s increase phagocytic activity and strengthen cell membranes
3. Leafy greens—high in B vitamins, minerals, and beta-carotene
4. Berries—packed with antioxidants to deal with the aftermath of immune battles
5. Citrus—high in vitamin C and other bioflavonoids
6. Chicken Soup—delicious, digestible, and familiar; it’s also nutrient-rich
7. Ginger—antioxidant, antimicrobial, and warming to fend off colds
8. Elderberry—loaded with antioxidants and helps your cells hide from viruses
9. Carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes—packed with beta-carotene and other phytonutrients
10. Mushrooms—high in immune-boosting polysaccharides

Besides keeping yourself well-nourished, get outside for sunshine and a walk every day, allow for plenty of rest, and spend some time in good company—all activities that will support excellent immunity.

Taken from:  http://www.tai.edu/

1. Apples

Topping the 2011 dirty dozen list is a tree fruit that always makes the list: Apples. (Apples ranked No. 2 in 2009 and No. 4 in 2010.) more than 40 different pesticides have been detected on apples, because fungus and insect threats prompt farmers to spray various chemicals on their orchards. Not surprisingly, pesticide residue is also found in apple juice and apple sauce, making all apple products smart foods to buy organic.

Some recommend peeling apples to reduce exposure to pesticide residue, but be aware that you’re peeling away many of the fruit’s most beneficial nutrients when you do so!

Another perennial food on the dirty dozen list is celery. It’s a good one to commit to memory, since it doesn’t fit the three main categories of foods with the highest pesticide residue (tree fruits, berries and leafy greens). USDA tests have found more than 60 different pesticides on celery.

Can’t find organic celery? Safer alternatives with a similar crunch include broccoli, radishes and onions.

Strawberries are always on the list of dirty dozen foods, in part because fungus prompts farmers to spray, and pesticide residue remains on berries sold at market. Nearly 60 different pesticides have been found on strawberries, though fewer are found on frozen strawberries.

Can’t find organic strawberries? Safer alternatives include kiwi and pineapples.

Another tree fruit that always makes the dirty dozen list: peaches. more than 60 pesticides have been found on peaches, an nearly as many in single-serving packs, but far fewer in canned peaches.

Safer alternatives include watermelon, tangerines, oranges and grapefruit.

Leading the leafy green pesticide residue category is spinach, with nearly 50 different pesticides. (While frozen spinach has nearly as many, canned has had fewer detected pesticides.)

Nectarines, at least imported ones, are among the most highly contaminated tree fruits. Domestic nectarines don’t test with as much pesticide residue, but overall 33 pesticides have been detected on nectarines.

Can’t find organic nectarines? Try pineapple, papaya or mango.

Another perennial entrant on the dirty dozen list, imported grapes can have more than 30 pesticides. Raisins, not surprisingly, also have high pesticide residue tests. Makes you wonder about wine, eh?

Another fruit that usually makes the dirty dozen list because it tends to have high pesticide residue is the sweet bell pepper, in all of its colorful varieties. Nearly 50 different pesticides have been detected on sweet bell peppers.

America’s favorite vegetable is the potato; unfortunately, more than 35 pesticides have been detected on potatoes in USDA testing. Sweet potatoes offer a delicious alternative with less chance of pesticide residue.

Blueberries usually make the dirty dozen list, since more than 50 pesticides have been detected as residue on them. Frozen blueberries have proved somewhat less contaminated. Unfortunately, obvious alternatives like cranberries and cherries, while they may not make the dirty dozen list this year, are often contaminated themselves. For breakfast cereal, if you can’t find blueberries, consider topping with bananas.

Joining spinach in the leafy greens category, lettuce makes the list of dirty dozen foods with the most pesticides. More than 50 pesticides have been identified on lettuce. If you can’t find organic lettuce, alternatives include asparagus

The benefits of eating organic food go straight to the farm, where no pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used to grow the organic produce shipped to grocers. That means workers and farm neighbors aren’t exposed to potentially harmful chemicals, it means less fossil fuel converted into fertilizers and it means healthier soil that should sustain crops for generations to come.

For individuals, organic food also has benefits. Eating organic means avoiding the pesticide residue left on foods, and it may even mean more nutritious varietals, though research into that subject has yielded mixed results. While there are few if any proven health impacts from consuming trace quantities of pesticides on foods, a growing number of people take the precaution of avoiding exposure just in case, particularly in the cases of pregnant women (growing babies are exposed to most of the chemicals that mom consume) and the parents of young children.

But organic food can cost more, meaning many families are loathe to shell out the extra cash for organic produce on every shopping trip. That’s what makes the Environmental Working Group’s annual list of the dirty dozen foods so useful. The group analyzes Department of Agriculture data about pesticide residue and ranks foods based on how much or little pesticide residue they have. The group estimates that individuals can reduce their exposure by 80% if they switch to organic when buying these 12 foods.

The USDA and farm and food industry representatives are quick to remind consumers that the government sets allowable pesticide residue limits it deems safe, and the produce for sale in your grocery store should meet those standards. Watchdogs like Environmental Working Group see those limits as too liberal, and see the dirty dozen list as a teaching tool to educate consumers about the benefits of organic food.

Even Environmental Working Group says that the benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables outweighs the known risks of consuming pesticide residue. At TheDailyGreen.com, we always favor educating consumers so that we can make the decision for ourselves.

This was a great article taken from the website http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/index.jsp

WHEN NUTRITION REALLY MATTERS™

#1 SOURCE FOR RAW, VEGAN, BIO-COMPATIBLE NUTRITIONAL SUPERFOODS and 100% HARD-CORE!

Why HealthForce?

HealthForce Nutritionals is a 20+ year 100% hardcore vegan therapeutic superfoods company. HealthForce was co-founded in 1990 by Jameth Sheridan and Kim Sheridan, ethical vegans and hardcore herbal medicine researchers. HealthForce Nutritionals empowers individuals to experience dramatic health improvements with verified TruGanic™, Vegan, Raw, Superfood products formulated and selected by Jameth Sheridan for vibrant health and wellness.

TruGanic™ is a purist, hard-core quality standard for sourcing and production significantly beyond Organic. The TruGanic™ standard was created by Jameth Sheridan to verify absolute purity. At HealthForce we are on a mission to provide the absolute best products at the most affordable prices.

The foundational product are Vitamineral™ Green™ a Vital Healing Food™ with a companion of Vitamineral™ Earth™ a Sacred Healing Food™ both designed to support excellent health, energy and balance.

Other products include:

Fruits of the Earth™: The Ultimate Superfruit Combination
MacaForce™ Vanilla Spice, Longevity, Rejuvenation, Endurance
MacaForce™ Dark Mint, Longevity, Rejuvenation, Endurance
Elixir of the Lake™, Ultimate Klamath Blue Green Algae, Feel the Difference
Greener Grasses™: Alkalizing Grass Blend
Spirulina Manna™: Natures Protein Powder
Spirulina Azteca™: The Ancients Revered Power Food
Acai Reservratrol Antioxidant Extreme™ Most comprehensive antioxidant product ever!
Healing Cleanses™ I, II, II: Actual cleanses that work for you!
Truly Natural™ Vitamin C: Superior absorption from wholefood!
Nopal Blood Sugar™: Supports balanced blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol & immunity.
Warrior Food™ Plain: The Ultimate Vegan Warrior Protein
Warrior Food™ Vanilla Enhanced: The Ultimate Vegan Warrior Protein with whole vanilla.
ZeoForce™: Most potent energized form of Zeolite available!
Internal Parasite Formula: It is you or them!! Move them out!
Intestinal Drawing Formula™: Nourishes, soothes, and lubricates the intestine.
Intestinal Movement Formula™: Effective, Gentle, & Balanced.
Liver Rescue™: Supports liver function cleansing & regeneration!
CircuForce™: Ginko Biloba supports Oxygenation, Circulation, Brain Function.
Non-GMO Lecithin: Supports healthy cholesterol, nerve & brain function.
Oxygen Supreme™: Powerful & safe bactericide, virucide & fungicide.
Green Mush™: Ultimate nutritional superfood for your animal companion.

For all you planning a going in the tough mudder…. these are the best products I have ever seen.

Thanks for the continued support!

You need to have a readiness for change, and know why you are doing it first, she said. This involves contemplation (thinking about getting in shape and why it is important to you); preparation (buying new running shoes, exercise attire, etc.); action (attending a gym, using a home exercise machine); and maintenance (sticking to your plan). Maintenance is the hardest part of this equation, make sure you are ready to take on your plan — and why, then figure out what motivates you the most.

#2 Goal Setting

The first step to managing your goals is to write them down, One suggestion is to write yourself ‘get active’ notes and put them where you will find them easily, such as in your pocket or on the fridge. It’s also important to frame your goals in a positive way — negative self-talk sets you up for failure. So, instead of saying ‘I must lose 30 pounds,’ say, ‘I will choose what I eat.’

#3 Daily Activity

Your activity throughout the day accumulates — it’s not just about going to a gym. Therefore, even something simple like reducing the time spent sitting can have a profound cumulative effect, even though it may seem like a very small change. We have to look at how much we sit, because that is our biggest problem. Taking frequent stretching breaks at our desk at work, or using commercial breaks to stretch or walk around the room when watching TV are good ways to incorporate some extra movement into your day. Put the remote on top of the TV so you have to get up to change the channel. Go out and talk to friends instead of chatting on the Internet. Your daily activity should tie in directly with the goals you set in step two.

#4 F.I.T.T.

Formula: In order for an exercise program to be successful, it needs to have all the elements of the F.I.T.T. formula. These letters stand for the words: Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type. So, in other words, it is important to set and maintain your goals around how often you exercise (frequency), the intensity of that exercise (how heavy are your weights, how many reps are you doing, are you working within your target heart rate) how long you sustain the exercise for (time) and what type of exercise it is (e.g. weight training, aerobic exercise or stretching).

#5 Commitment

As mentioned above, the hardest part about an exercise program is maintaining it. A commitment to fitness requires many things including willpower, reason, reinforcement and time. It’s helpful to look at the things right now that are standing in the way of you maintaining your fitness goals. For example, if you find you don’t exercise enough because you are too tired, try looking at exercise as a way to increase your energy. If time is your main enemy, commit to set times each week, and keep the commitment — even if it’s only for a few minutes. Frequency is a more difficult (and therefore, more important) commitment to make than duration, because once you have the habit of exercise down, it becomes easier to find the time in which to do it, and scheduling around it becomes second nature.

#6 Healthy Nutrition

Good food should go hand in hand with exercise, those who care about fitness also care about what they eat. So, obviously it’s essential to choose our foods wisely, but it’s also important to remember to eat enough. Many people who want to lose weight try to do so with fad diets, which can be quite harmful and wreak havoc on the metabolism. ‘Food is fuel — it’s not an enemy. We need good, healthy food.’ Proper hydration — making sure you drink enough water — is also key when exercising. Dehydration can cause fatigue and muscle cramps even before thirst is an indication.

#7 Rest and Recovery

Many of us think that the word ‘rest’ is counterproductive to fitness. Often when we start an exercise program, we are so focused on the activity that we don’t listen when our body says ‘enough.’ In fact, one step that is often overlooked in a fitness program is rest and recovery. Getting enough sleep is always important for health, but we should also remember to take breaks when working out. This crucial step is necessary to give hard-working muscles a chance to rebuild and restore themselves.

If you’re a beginner, start with a circuit routine in which you do 10 to 12 exercises one after the other, 10 to 15 repetitions per set, with little or no rest in between. Do two or three circuits.

If you’re more advanced, try supersets. In these, you do two exercises back-to-back, rest 60 seconds, and then repeat once or twice. There are many ways to do supersets, but for fat loss, I’d like to see you use as much muscle as possible. One way is to pair exercises that work completely different muscles, such as squats and seated rows.

Build muscle: For most men, I recommend exercises that allow you to do eight to 12 repetitions per set. You can do them as straight sets-complete a set, rest about 60 seconds, do the next set of the same thing, and keep going that way until you’ve finished all your sets and are ready to move on to the next exercise.

If you have more experience, try super sets, but not the way you did them for fat loss. Pair synergistic exercises-two moves that work the same muscles. Usually, the first is a compound move to work a lot of muscles, the second a single-joint exercise to focus on one large muscle. So barbell bench presses might be followed by dumbbell flies. Shoulder presses could lead in to lateral raises.

Gain strength

There’s no secret here-heavy weights, low repetitions (usually three to five per set for the most important moves, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses), and longer rest (up to 4 minutes) between sets. You don’t have to do every exercise this way, of course. Start with low reps on your main moves, then do more repetitions with lighter weights and shorter rest periods on less important ones.

Power Push-ups

Your goal: 10-15 repetitions of each. Focus on proper technique: Straight back, tight stomach and butt, continuous movement and full extension of the arms.

• Standard Pushups: Lie face down on the floor with your palms at shoulder level, fingers pointing forward. Push yourself up until your body weight rests only on your palms and toes. Lower yourself and repeat. To accent the chest, place your hands wider than shoulder-width; to target the back and triceps, bring your hands close together with thumbs and index fingers touching.
• Incline Pushups: Stand facing a wall, about 2-3 feet away, arms straight out in front of you. Touch the wall with palms flat and support your weight. Slowly lower your chest to the wall., keeping your knees and back straight. Push back out and repeat.
• Decline Pushups: Support your body weight on your arms and elevate both feet behind you on an exercise bench or a chair. Keep your knees locked and your back straight as you lower your chest to the floor and push back up. Repeat.
• Chair Dips: Place two benches or chairs of equal seat height shoulder-width apart. Kneel behind them, place one hand flat on each seat, and extend your legs behind you so your weight is evenly supported by your arms and feet. Lower your upper body just below the level of the seats, or as low as you can without pain. Hold for a second, then raise yourself back to the starting position. Repeat.
• Bent-knee Pushups: (This is a tough one. Warm up your muscles first and concentrate on your technique.) Keeping your back straight, support yourself on your knees and palms. Your arms should be straight and shoulder-width apart. Slowly lower your upper body to the floor, keeping your trunk straight. Rise back to the starting position and repeat.