full body beginner workout with light dumbbells (30-minute strength workout)

written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published May 17, 2022

If you want to increase strength, you want to add weights to your workouts. To gain and maintain muscle, exercise daily and add bodyweight and resistance training at least twice a week.

In this 30-minute full body beginner workout with light dumbbells, these are the exercises in order (watch the video at the end of this post to start the workout session):

15 side-lying leg lifts

15 frog pumps with two dumbbells

15 B-stance dumbbell squats

1-minute butt kicks, each side

10 Chest T-pushups

16 Bent-over rows, alternating between close to the ribs and elbow out to target the lats and the upper back muscles

15 Kneeling Dumbbell front raises to target the front of the delts (shoulders)

Biceps and shoulder combination with hammer curls, bent-arm lateral raises, scarecrows. 12 reps.

30 second rocking plank to strengthen the core and shoulders.

The workout ends with stretches

If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree

How to reduce inflammation (Ayurvedic anti-inflammatory spice blend recipe)

written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published May 10, 2022

Short-term (acute) inflammation is normal, but long-term (chronic) inflammation is harmful. Expecting a pill to cure you of what ails you may be a possibility with the right ingredients, in the right quantities.

Which spices are anti-inflammatory?

Turmeric, ginger, Boswellia and black pepper, all have anti-inflammatory effects and can reduce pain, inflammation, and help the body heal itself (1).

Which supplements are safe?

There are many products on the market with these four anti-inflammatory ingredients, but if these spices are not certified organic, they may be laden with toxic pesticides, some known to cause cancer and induce gut dysbiosis.

Supplement statements on labels are, many times, misleading, to convince you that their product is superior, when, in fact, it is inferior, contains little of the beneficial ingredients, more of the cheaper ingredients, less of the more powerful expensive ingredients (like turmeric), and are cut with other ingredients that are unhelpful, added as fillers. Therefore, you want to be wary of supplements that are inexpensive; they are cutting corners, to be able to sell you a cheaper (inferior) product to capture more of the market (1).

Avoid consuming synthetic ingredients in supplements and foods, as the human body does not recognize man-made concoctions as natural and may start attacking the “foods” you’ve ingested and your own tissues, which is why I always choose plant-sources (1).

We also need to be concerned about where these spices are sourced since soils can be contaminated with heavy metals and/or arsenic. Your good intentions are to make yourself healthier, yet some supplements make people ill (1).

The good news is that I found what appears to be a quality Ayurvedic anti-inflammatory supplement with the extracts from these ingredients, although it’s not certified organic, but it is pesticide free, non-GMO, kosher, gluten-free, vegan, and made from plants. Unfortunately, these pills are expensive at about $100 for 120 capsules, which includes shipping. You can order this brand, called Bosmeric-SR from this link https://www.sanjevanistore.com/collections/best-sellers-1/products/sanjevani-bosmeric-sr-br-120-caplets  or you can make your own capsules with these whole ingredients by watching the YouTube video I created below, at the end of this post.

How much should I take of Boswellia, ginger, turmeric, Bosmeric-SR?

Dr. Pai recommends, in his book “An Inflammation Nation,” to “take two caplets twice daily with food for the clinical dosage…for those with moderate to severe inflammatory pain…for…two to three weeks or until…. discomfort is improved.” After that, you can reduce dosage to “…one caplet twice daily with food for maintenance”  (p 238).

For some people, four caplets of Bosmeric-Sr is not sufficient, so he recommends six caplets, spread out throughout the day. Dr. Pai writes, for “those who need cancer-supportive treatments or are having a severe flare up of their condition may choose to take two caplets three times daily” (p 238).

The certified organic spice Boswellia jar I purchased from https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/boswellia-powder/?product_sizes=76 cost me $17.99.

The 0-size vegetarian (they are vegan) capsules cost me $5 at a local market.

I buy certified organic powdered ginger ($3.79), ground turmeric ($3.99) and whole black peppercorns ($3.99) from either Sprouts, Whole-Foods or Vons.

I spent a total of $34.76 for the spices and capsules which is a really good deal because that will make over 1000 capsules.

How to reduce inflammation with lifestyle changes

While certain herbs and spices have anti-inflammatory effects, a pill is not a cure-all if you are eating inflammatory foods like sugar, gluten, dairy, and animal products.

If you’re being exposed to chemicals, toxins, or heavy metals, a supplement cannot help you enough.

If you’re not drinking enough water, or if you are frequently stressed out, or sleeping odd hours, or aren’t sleeping enough, you aren’t giving what your body needs to heal itself.

Make yourself a priority to take care of yourself.

If you need guidance, motivation, healthy dairy-free and vegan recipes, which ingredients and foods to avoid that cause inflammation, along with what to do to get well, check out my book at http://www.thehighfivediet.com

If you want to speak to a doctor who specializes in inflammation and is certified in herbal medicine, you may want to consider contacting Dr. Pai, a Holistic Integrative Medicine doctor, to schedule a consultation in person or virtually. (I have no financial affiliation with Dr. Pai, his company or his products) https://sanjevani.net/our-center/sunil-pai-md/

The mind and body are connected so stay positive and try your best.

I wish you well.

If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree

1. Source: Pai, S., & Weil, A. (2015). An inflammation nation: The definitive 10-step guide to preventing and treating all diseases through diet, lifestyle, and the use of natural anti-inflammatories. RocDoc Publications.

Vegan Tacos with mushrooms & black beans (low-fat, plant-based, oil-free)

written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published May 3, 2022

These vegan 🌱 tacos 🌮 made with black beans, mushrooms 🍄, red onions, green and red bell peppers, herbs 🌿, spices, iceberg lettuce 🥬 or cabbage, zucchini, nutritional yeast (the cheese), hot sauce, salsa, and coconut 🥥 aminos, is gluten-free, oil-free and absolutely delicious.

You won’t ever want to eat meat tacos anymore after you realize how good healthy tacos taste and how wonderful real foods make you feel. I’d even go so far as to proclaim these the best vegan tacos, ever!

Press play on the YouTube video below to watch how to make this tasty entrée.

If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree

Mother’s Day healthy gift guide 2022

Mother’s Day is May 8th

Surprise mom with a Mother’s Day gift this year that she wouldn’t splurge on herself. These brands and products are ones I adore, are much cleaner than what’s typically sold in stores, and are from companies that care about people and the environment.

After searching for years for a gentle shampoo and conditioner, I found this luxurious shampoo & conditioner by Bogavia that doesn’t weigh down my curls, has a gentle scent that smells good and washes out easily. It’s on the high-end, pricy side at $24 each, but not a lot of product is needed so it’s worth the splurge. https://bogavia.com/

After searching for a healthy mascara that does not clump, I found one I love by W3LL People https://credobeauty.com/products/expressionist-volumizing-mascara

I almost gave up searching for a self-tanning lotion without harmful ingredients that doesn’t stink, until I tried Luna Bronze. I use the spray self-tanning lotion, shown below, on a big fluffy brush and dust it on my face and neck for a heathy tan look. I use the Radiant Self Tanning Lotion on my body (not shown), which doesn’t streak, looks natural and lasts for five days. https://lunabronzetanning.com/collections/body

This face scrub by French company Caudalie doesn’t irritate my skin, and gentle buffs it. I use it twice a week on my face (I have very delicate skin) and it doesn’t get red. https://us.caudalie.com/303-vinoclean-gentle-buffing-cream.html

The other product I adore from this brand is their gentle Almond Milk Cleanser (not shown) https://us.caudalie.com/311-gentle-cleansing-almond-milk-travel-size.html

A nail polish that contains fewer chemicals, is eco-friendly, vegan, cruelty-free, and made in the USA is Ella Milla. Their nail polish is $10.50 and most shades require 2-3 coats in addition to a top coat.

For the mom who wants a simple nail polish color that stays on and doesn’t look ghastly as it wears off, are Ella Milla glitters. I wash my hands a lot, lift weights, and my nails take a daily beating so I needed a polish that’s easy to apply and always looks classy. Below I’m wearing Pixie Dusk, which is a clear polish combined with silver glitter. This doesn’t need a base coat or a top coat. I’m wearing two coats of this polish, which lasts a week (sometimes even longer) https://www.ellamila.com/products/pixie-dust?_pos=1&_sid=2d0ba90cd&_ss=r

To see several outfits from Mia Brazilia being modeled, play the YouTube video below

For the mom who wants to lose weight, or may be suffering from a disease or autoimmune condition, get her this nutrition health book, that will make her feel good, motivate her to make positive changes, which includes whole-food dairy-free & vegan recipes. It’s just $16.15

Get her an assortment of healthy, low-fat, oil-free, sugar-free, organic vegan packaged foods such as pizza, cereal, granola, chili and stew from Plant Strong Foods so she doesn’t have to cook.

https://plantstrongfoods.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwgr6TBhAGEiwA3aVuIYCTNQIn8CzPo9aZPVAljIvwrHe07h20aRwAPpIA5o1grMUXfJ1YlRoC_ukQAvD_BwE

This shimmer and matte Eye shadow pallet can be used for every occasion. I have very fair skin and use the matte New Moon on my as an all-over nude base to match my skin and cover my veins, then add Solar Eclipse on my lid for a subtle-pink shimmer. I use SOL in my crease, which has a soft peach color. Amber is a beautiful rich gold. The remaining colors are nice on the outer corner for a dramatic pop.

Unfortunately, the company Aether Beauty no longer sells this pallet, but they have an even more beautiful pallet called Desert Sunset that contains 10 shades, with a glittery rose-pink, and several matte and shimmery golds and browns that you can check out with the link below. It’s $48 for a palette of 10 shades (I’m ordering this palette when I run out of the colors I have). https://athrbeauty.com/collections/eye-collection/products/desert-sunset-palette

For the mom who loves to bake, but is trying to eat healthier, order her my whole-food desserts cookbook: It’s $14.95, and 90% of the recipes are vegan. No sugar, flour or dairy are in any of the recipes:

For the mom who wants to lose weight and wants flexibility, using a food diary results in better food choices and fat loss. Support small female business women, by ordering my book for $15.95.   

Instead of roses that don’t last, how about a lavender bouquet? These aromatic plants are made with 100% English lavender, which results in a much sweeter and pleasant fragrance. You can order these beautiful bouquets, that range from $10-$30, by a small business: Nature’s ZEAL. Jennifer is the owner of this small organic lavender/honey/maple syrup farm, located in central Michigan. Place your order by phone 517-699-4319 or email jkhehl@gmail.com

For the fitness mom, get her these resistance bands for leg curls, biceps curls, front raises, lateral shoulder raises, and front shoulder raises (I’m a fan and use these myself).

TheFitLife Exercise Resistance Bands with Handles, which includes 5 Fitness Workout Bands, Training Tubes with Large Handles, Ankle Straps, Door Anchor Attachment, Carry Bag was under $25 last time I checked on Amazon [affiliate link below]

For the mom who lifts weights, she may like this 300 page weightlifting record book, which tracks progress, includes sample workouts, and includes over 200 of the best strengthening exercises. $15.99  

No butt workout is complete without a glute band. I like this one because it’s really stretchy and light, so it won’t hurt (scroll towards the bottom of the shopping page for the NT Loop mini red band. https://www.ntloop.com/shop/

For the mom that wants to exercise, needs help getting started and motivated, is not sure what to do or where to start and would prefer not to leave the house, she may enjoy virtual personal fitness training sessions through Zoom or Facetime. Fill out the contact me section below at the bottom of my website

https://thehighfivediet.com/

You can order gift cards for my products and services with the link below too.

https://squareup.com/gift/FJ7R5JVFEPTJ1/order

Happy mother’s day to all the beautiful mom’s out there. We appreciate you!

Walking Robot Workout (the wackiest & most fun walking workout) – Must try

written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published April 26, 2022

This may be the workout that makes me famous because it’s so weird and wacky, and really fun (this new style could be the new trend in 2022). I created this new 45-minute all-standing, low-impact, walking, aerobic cardio workout with easy-to-follow moves in a robot, or robotic, figureobics style.

New wave and house music accompany these funny-looking, feel-good moves, which will make you laugh, smile and move to the beat.

If you don’t have rhythm, this workout is perfect for you because no dance background is needed. The more awkward you are, the better you will probably perform these exercises.

This cardiovascular workout is for all levels, but go at your own pace as some moves are faster than others.

If you cannot complete the entire 45-minute workout, just do what you can, and come back to it later in the day, or on a different day.

Let me know what you think and if you would like me to make more of these.

Press play on the YouTube video below to start the workout.

If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree

30-minute beginner full-body strength workout (with exercise ball, bands, one weight)

written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published April 19, 2022

(if you are viewing this on email or on social media, please visit site at http://www.realdiethelp.com for the most updated version of this post; it looks better, and it shows me an accurate count of views)

In this 30-minute beginner full-body strength workout, you’ll need a Swiss ball (also known as an exercise ball), a sturdy chair, a light or medium strength TheraBand, one weight, and a glute/booty band. If you don’t have those pieces of equipment, that’s okay, I provide bodyweight-only modifications in the video.

The workout begins with a gentle march, followed by the exercises below, in order:

• 25 seated banded hip abductions with pec presses
• 15 single leg box squats on a chair
• Two sets of 8 Swiss ball hamstring curls (two variations)
• 20 quick calf raises with overhead finger flicks for 30 seconds
• 15 floor or Swiss ball single-arm dumbbell chest presses. Move the arm across the chest at an angle, past the midline
• 30 TheraBand T’s with alternating step-backs
• Single-arm shoulder push-press with one weight. Lower slowly.
• 15 chair dips

The workout ends with full-body gentle stretches.

Press play on the YouTube video below to begin the workout.

If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree

high fruit vs. low-carb raw vegan diets (80/10/10 Doug Graham vs Dr. Brooke Goldner’s hyper-nourish), which one is healthier?

written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published April 12, 2022

(if you are viewing this on email or on social media, please visit site at http://www.realdiethelp.com for the most updated version of this post; it looks better, and it shows me an accurate count of views)

Raw vegans proclaim that their diets are the best and encourage others to join them in their extreme eating habits, but just like there are debates about whether people should avoid bread, there are factions in the raw food community regarding whether a raw vegan fruit-based diet, or a raw vegan diet that limits fruit and contains more fat from avocados, nuts and seeds, is better for health.

In this post, or you can watch the YouTube video at the end of this article, I compare Dr. Doug Graham’s low-fat, high-carbohydrate, high-fruit, raw vegan diet, with two popular high-fat, raw vegan diets: one that is commonly referred to as gourmet, and Dr. Brooke Goldner’s hyper-nourish protocol for reversing autoimmune diseases. In addition, I’ll cover the positives and negatives of each of these raw vegan diets, which is healthier, and why I and other people try these extreme diets.

Who should try a raw vegan diet?

People who try and sometimes fully transition to a raw vegan diet are people who have typically tried other diets and have failed to lose weight, clear up acne and/or reverse serious medical diagnoses like cancer, and autoimmune conditions like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus.

What foods aren’t allowed on a raw vegan diet?

I consider a raw vegan diet, one of the most extreme diets, because not only are all animal products, beans, peas, lentils, potatoes (except for sweet potatoes because they can be eaten raw) and grains excluded, but all cooked foods, even gently steamed, are not permitted on a raw food diet.

Why are raw foods healthier than cooked foods?

When food is cooked, oxygen is released, enzymes are destroyed, proteins are reduced, and nutrients are diminished. Cooked foods become higher in carbohydrates and are more glycemic. If you eat a raw banana or a raw sweet potato verses a boiled banana or a steamed sweet potato, the carbohydrates are significantly higher when that fruit and vegetable is heated, which results in higher blood sugar spikes.

The higher the heat and the longer a food is cooked, the less nutritious the food is and the more carcinogenic it may become. For instance, if you broil or grill food, the blackened pieces should be thrown out because those burned food pieces are carcinogenic.

Why do cooked foods cause autoimmune diseases?

For those with an overactive immune system, such as those with an autoimmune condition, their bodies confuse their own tissues and organs as foreign invaders, which is why they are being attacked. When these same people eat cooked foods, their bodies overreact and see cooked foods as toxic, so the assault continues.

When people with autoimmune conditions avoid inflammatory foods like dairy, sugar, processed foods, oils, and animal flesh and meat, the inflammation is reduced, and some or all, of the pain, attacks, and antibodies go away.

Sometimes eliminating unhealthy foods like dairy, sugar, processed foods, oils, beef, pork, chicken, eggs, and fish is not enough to reverse autoimmune diseases, so eating solely plant foods in its unadulterated state (without cooking or heating it), is what’s required to reverse their diseases.

High-raw vs. 100% raw

Sometimes people just need to eat a raw vegan diet for a limited period of time, for example: from six to eight weeks, and then can transition to a high-raw diet, where they eat 80% raw and 20% cooked vegan plant foods like tofu, beans, lentils, potatoes, grains and other baked or steamed vegetables, to regain a healthy state.

For other people, they don’t feel well if they eat any foods that are cooked, even after a two-month strict raw vegan diet, which is why they remain on a raw vegan diet.

I’ve read on various Facebook pages that people feel ill even after eating a boiled potato, a bowl of plain rice or cooked oatmeal, because it’s a cooked food.

Why raw vegan diets are becoming popular

People don’t give up their favorite foods and foods of convenience unless they are in serious pain and in dire circumstances, which is why raw vegan diets are becoming more popular: more and more people are extremely sick.

There are many variations of raw vegan diets, but the ones I’m covering, Dr. Doug Graham’s 80/10/10, raw vegan gourmet, and Dr. Brooke Goldner’s autoimmune hyper-nourish protocol, are very popular and help to heal people, in varying degrees.

The 80/10/10 high-fruit, 100% raw vegan diet, explained

Dr. Doug Graham’s 80/10/10 raw vegan diet consists mainly of fruit. Eighty percent of the diet comes from carbohydrates. Ten percent comes from protein, which is derived from nuts, greens, raw vegetables, seeds and fruit, and the last ten percent comes from plant fats. All plants contain fat, even blueberries have naturally-occurring fat.

Since you cannot get enough calories from raw vegetables and greens, on a low-fat (10-15% from fat) diet, you must eat a massive amount of fruit on Dr. Doug Graham’s 80/10/10 diet program.

What is not allowed on the 80/10/10 diet

Dr. Doug Graham does not permit fermented foods, dehydrated foods which involves low heat, dried fruit, cocoa, cacao, vinegar, coffee (it’s a roasted bean), dried herbs (they are heated), herbal teas, unripe fruit, or frozen fruit since it is not in its natural state (you don’t pick frozen fruit off a tree and eat it because it would be unripe and frostbitten).

He allows foods to be blended but not juiced because removing the fiber is unnatural. Removing the fiber is changing the way the food was naturally designed.

I read Dr. Doug Graham’s 80/10/10 book, cover-to-cover, and followed his rules exactly, for one week, because that was all I could handle. While I love fruit, so much fruit made my blood sugar high (I’m a Type-1 diabetic), I didn’t feel satisfied, craved beans (probably because I wasn’t consuming enough protein), and felt generally unwell. 

Dr. Doug Graham recommends eating 1-lb of raw cruciferous vegetables each day so I would also make large salads, raw cold soups (which feels terrible and tastes awful on a cold winter day), and vegetable plates with an avocado or nut sauce.

I lost three pounds in one week on Dr. Doug Graham’s 80/10/10 program which I found alarming because I’m already underweight. I just cannot consume enough fruit to be a healthy weight.

For people who like fruit, but also want to enjoy lots of nuts and seeds and be able to recreate their favorite foods like pizza and cookies can do so on a gourmet raw vegan diet.

Gourmet raw vegan diet guidelines

On a gourmet raw vegan diet, it’s not 100% percent raw, so there is a lot of flexibility. There’s no maximum or minimum amount of carbohydrates or fats. You can enjoy as much fruit as you like. You can incorporate dried fruit like dates to make desserts. You can dehydrate foods to make coconut cookies. You can use coconut oil to make desserts and use olive oil in your salad dressing.

Agave and/or maple syrup are sweeteners used in place of sugar. A variety of nuts are chopped up to make nut cheeses, pizza crust, or pie crusts. Nut butters are used to make creamy dressings or cookie fillings.

When I was diagnosed with Type-1.5 diabetes over a decade ago I bought several raw gourmet cookbooks and made many recipes, some of which were terrible, but I enjoyed most of the rich, sweet desserts.

I tried a raw vegan diet because I read that if you start soon enough after being diagnosed with Type-1 or Type 1.5 diabetes it’s possible to reverse it.

Type-2 diabetes can generally be reversed when the fat intake is lowered considerably, regardless of what type of diet they eat, but a high-carbohydrate, very low fat, whole-food vegan diet typically reverses Type-2 diabetes the quickest and is the most sustainable.

Gourmet raw vegan – the negative aspects of gourmet raw vegan diets

My blood sugars increased on raw gourmet foods because there was too much fat from the nuts, coconut flakes, carob and coconut oil. The raw vegan foods I consumed contained too many calories so I couldn’t lose weight, which, at that time, I wanted to lose eight pounds of bodyfat.

My high blood sugars were made worse not only from the excess fats I ate, but also from the highly glycemic dates and agave.

My stomach constantly hurt from eating so many nuts, even though I enjoyed eating them. Nuts are difficult to digest and are high in healthy fats. Eating too much of even healthy foods, can cause harm.

I was frustrated by how much preparation it took to make a lot of raw vegan meals; for instance, it took 24 hours to make a raw vegan pizza, and 6 hours to make a raw burger in the dehydrator. It was also upsetting that a lot of the vegetable meals that included lots of steps and took a lot of time to make, didn’t taste good.

I ate raw vegan gourmet recipes for about three months before I gave it up and went back to eating all cooked foods.

Why I tried Dr. Brooke Goldner’s hyper-nourish raw vegan diet

Flash forward to 2019, I started having swelling, redness, reduced blood flow and pain in my fingers and toes. After numerous doctor visits, I was diagnosed with two additional autoimmune conditions, erythromelalgia and Raynaud’s. I started searching for ways to treat and reverse these rare conditions and came across Dr. Brooke Goldner’s autoimmune hyper-nourish reversal program. She’s written three books, one called “Goodbye Lupus.”

Lupus is a potentially deadly, but reversible autoimmune disease. Most people don’t know that they can reverse lupus and lupus-related conditions with food and lifestyle changes.

I thought that if she can reverse lupus, she may be able to help me, so I purchased and read one of her books, and paid the $45 for her five-hour lecture from her website, which is really fascinating and well worth the price. I was impressed and signed up with Smoothie Shred, where I received her raw green smoothie recipes and got approved into her Facebook group.

Dr. Brooke Goldner’s hyper-nourish autoimmune protocol:

1-lb of raw cruciferous vegetables (mostly baby salad greens)

Avocado

Raw vegetables

96+ ounces of water

½ cup of ground flax or ground chia seeds

No nuts

No more than 25% fruit

No dehydrated or dried fruit

The guidelines for her diet plan are not a secret; she has public YouTube videos where she shares what to eat and not to eat on her channel.

Dr. Goldner recommends putting all ingredients into a large Vitamix and drink it throughout the day. For people who don’t like green smoothies, she allows salads with the above ingredients.

She says you can eat as much avocado as you want even though it’s high in fat.

She advocates no more than 25% from fruit because she’s found that excess fruit slows down the autoimmune reversal process.

Why a raw vegan diet may not reverse lupus and autoimmune conditions

Dr. Brooke Goldner acknowledges that a perfect diet, by itself, is not sufficient, as other factors can hinder disease reversal such as inadequate water consumption.

How to reverse autoimmune conditions without changing one’s diet

Our bodies cannot repair or flush out toxins without adequate water so Dr. Brooke Goldner recommends drinking a minimum of 96 ounces of filtered water, daily.

Not sleeping enough. Sleep is when your body does the majority of healing. Without adequate sleep, your body is put under excess stress. Excess stress equates to more inflammation.

Make sure to sleep at least 8 hours each night, between 10am-5am, which is a human’s circadian clock range, to balance hormones, digestion, and the immune system.

We need adequate sleep to repair and maintain our bodies and our health. Without proper sleep, we become stressed and aren’t giving ourselves enough time to recover, which sets us up for cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Chronic Stress. Chronic stress causes not just an emotional response, like agitation, but many negative physical responses. Chronic stress causes us to get sick and stay sick. While you may not be able to get rid of toxic relationships, your response to situations and people makes a huge difference in your wellness.

Negative mindset. Being negative will affect your stress levels and your ability to heal. Try to think positively, even when everything feels like it is falling apart, because your negative thoughts can literally break you.

Get outside. Most of us are stuck inside our homes or offices, with stuffy air, possibly mold or asbestos around us, and toxins from paint, carpet and upholstery, that we breathe in. Get outside for fresh air, and sunshine. Vitamin D is low in people with chronic diseases, and taking a Vitamin D supplement is not always sufficient, so getting outside in the sun to absorb nature’s vitamin D on your skin for 20 minutes a day is ideal.

Get your omega 3’s up. Dr. Goldner says the extra amount of omega 3’s she recommends with the ½ cup of ground flax/chia seeds won’t negatively affect blood sugars and helps speed up healing. That’s how she came up with the name “hyper-nourish,” she’s giving the body more than what it needs, to flood the body with excess nourishment.

Not only are seeds high in fat and calories, consuming excessive amounts of fat, even healthy fat, leads to heart disease, type-2 diabetes, circulation problems, and other medical issues.

I consulted with my plant-based doctor about Dr. Goldner’s protocol, and he said to modify it, to eat less fat and chia/flax. I made the green smoothies with 3-4 tablespoons of ground chia or ground flax with water, frozen bananas, frozen green grapes or mangos, mixed greens, celery, and sometimes raw broccoli.

What I didn’t like about Dr. Brooke Goldner’s autoimmune diet

When I made Dr. Brooke Goldner’s smoothies with 75% greens, as she recommends, the green smoothies tasted terrible, like grass. One time I threw up the entire smoothie while sitting on my couch watching TV. I don’t believe the texture or the taste of the green smoothie caused me to vomit; I think I got food poisoning from the raw broccoli I put in it. Other people on her Facebook page, were also throwing up and getting food poising from the raw green smoothies.

I drank these green smoothies and ate the large green salads several times, always ending the strict diet after three days, because the food tasted terrible, I had chronic stomachaches, and felt miserable. Many people have had great success at reversing their autoimmune conditions with her program, but my blood sugars got worse drinking the green smoothies.

What the percentage of fat should be in a healthy diet

Raw food diets, when the fat content is under 20%, has resulted in better health for many people (although limiting fat to 10% has been shown in medical studies to be percentage proven to reverse and prevent disease).

Are gourmet raw vegan diets healthy?

Gourmet raw vegan diets typically result in worsening health if lots of dried fruit, oils, and excess seeds and nuts are consumed regularly. Low and lower fat diets with lots of variety, not just raw food diets, typically results in health improvements.

Are raw vegan foods just for sick people?

Raw vegan plants are foods everyone should incorporate into their daily diet. Raw vegan foods, like green salads, are in its natural state, that’s not adulterated by heat or processing, contain lots of nutrients and promote healing.

There are specific foods that promote healing the best, such as baby greens, cruciferous vegetables like arugula, bok choy and broccoli.

Growing your own sprouts will help increase the protein intake on a raw vegan diet (or even on a vegan diet).

You want to eat raw green greens/vegetables every day. The goal should be, a minimum, to consume one pound of raw vegetables daily.

Why I don’t eat a 100% raw vegan diet

Today I continue to eat raw salads with lots of fruit and put ground flax or chia seeds in my fruit smoothies, but I do not feel well and cannot maintain a healthy weight without eating legumes and cooked starchy vegetables on a regular basis.

I don’t enjoy eating raw broccoli, raw zucchini, raw asparagus or raw Brussel sprouts. It’s better to eat lots of these cooked vegetables than to limit or avoid them altogether.

To help balance my blood sugars, I do eat highly glycemic foods like cooked sweet potatoes, but I pair it with foods that are less glycemic, like squash, spinach, bell peppers, onions, and steamed broccoli.

Presently, I eat some raw foods, but mostly cooked foods. In the wintertime, it’s too uncomfortable for me to just eat cold foods. I need warm soups and stews to keep me warm on cold days.

Conclusion:

Raw vegan diets are extreme, but they can be healthy or harmful over time, depending on how much of certain foods are eaten. The more fat one consumes, regardless of the type of fat, when the percentage exceeds 10-15%, increases a person’s likelihood of being overweight, and becoming riddled with disease. Low carb diets and gourmet raw diets (and also the standard American diet) are not healthy: they are all too high in fat.

Just because fats can be problematic, fatty foods should not be omitted from any diet. A raw vegan will have trouble consuming enough protein if they avoid plant fats. In addition, foods that are high in fat are needed for many processes, like cushioning our joints, but we only need to eat plant fats in small amounts (animal fats are not essential and have proven to be harmful to our health).

The fats to eat are avocados, nuts, and seeds, not to exceed 10-15% of your daily calories. The fats to avoid are oils and animal products.

The healthiest raw food diet is one where greens and a large variety of plant foods are eaten, is high in whole-food plant carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables), about 80-75%, is low in protein 10-15%, and low in fat 10-15%.

Some people consume a high-raw diet, where 75-80% of the food is raw and 20-25% of the food is cooked. For people who have absorption issues and have stayed away from cooked foods, vegan enzymes may be all you need to add to your diet, because enzymes are destroyed with high temperatures.

I use and recommend Plant Fusion’s vegan digestive enzymes (link and photo below) because it really helps me with bloating and digestion. It’s also vegan, because I don’t want to eat animal products or pancreases from other animals, which is in a lot of enzyme supplements. You also want to choose food-based enzymes, since synthetic enzymes can be harmful.

Vegan Complete Digestive Enzymes

The diet that is optimal for all humans is one that is primarily plant-based, so regardless of which vegan diet you like best, as long as you get all your vitamins, minerals, calories, the diet has a lot of variety, the food doesn’t harm the planet, animals or people; and it makes you feel good, and you are free from disease, that diet is one that’s perfect for you.

Play the YouTube video below to hear me talk about the differences between high-fruit and high-fat raw vegan diets and which one is optimal for human health, and why.

P.S. This is my 924th blog! I’ve been publishing blog posts on this platform, consistently for over seven years now. I can’t believe it’s been that long. To prevent burnout, and to provide helpful, interesting, educational, unique content, I’ll be posting blogs once a week from now on instead of twice a week.

I don’t make any money on this platform. If you’d like to donate to my page, to cover website fees, click the PayPal link below. Any amount is welcome, no matter how small. Thank you!

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Complete bodyweight strength workout (no weights/no equipment)

written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published April 5, 2022

In this full-body workout, no weights or equipment is needed, except for a chair to hold on to.

Here are the exercises in order:

Warm-up:

Side steps with lateral raises. This works the hips, medial glutes and the shoulders (side delts)

Workout:

15 single leg glute bridges (these work your glutes/the butt)

15 double leg glute bridges

15 single leg glute bridges

T’s with alternating step backs. These work the upper back and the back of the shoulders.

10 quad pulses. 3 sets. These work the quadriceps, the muscles on the front of the legs.

Long-legged elevated bridges. Put your feet on a chair and extend those legs to work your hamstrings (the muscles on the back of the legs)

25 Calf-raises with demi-plies

Standing chest press with tutorial. These work your shoulders and triceps.

8 push-ups. Push ups work the triceps, core, low-back and chest muscles.

10 Side-lying hip raises. These work your hips, shoulders and obliques (side abs)

RKC plank. This works your shoulders and core muscles.

Prone leg-lifts. This exercise works your glutes (the butt).

Standing crunches. These work your upper and lower abdominal muscles.

The workout ends with stretches for the entire body. Real Diet Help.com Written by Nina Shantel (see * below video)

Press play on the YouTube video below to begin this 30-minute strength workout

*If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree

30-minute beginner low-impact ballet workout

written by Nina Shantel, RealDietHelp.com, published March 29, 2022

This is a 30-minute ballet workout for beginners. It’s an all-standing, low-impact workout, so there is no jumping.

This routine does involve quite a bit of balance so have a chair or a barre handy. You don’t need any prior ballet classes, as this is for beginners.

Have fun, enjoy, and if you are interested in losing weight or eating healthier and going plant-based, go to my website: thehighfivediet.com to order my diet book with recipes, which is also teaches you about nutrition.

You can get the e-book on Kindle or the paperback book mailed directly to you for $16.15.

The oil-free balsamic vinegar that I mentioned in the video is called Garden Dill Mustard Seed Vinaigrette and is available at California Balsamic. Here’s the direct link to that page: https://californiabalsamic.com/product-category/balsamic/page/2/

The app that I mentioned to figure out how many calories, fat grams and nutritional information is called Cronometer. Here’s the website (it’s a free app): https://cronometer.com/

Press play on the YouTube video below to start this low-impact, all-standing ballet beginner workout.

To be alerted of new videos as soon as they are published, subscribe to my YouTube channel: Nina’s Nutrition and Exercise videos

Finger and toe exercises with low-impact cardio workout (all-standing, gentle workout)

written by Nina Shantel, RealDietHelp.com, published March 22, 2022

Our fingers and toes don’t get enough exercise because we don’t all play the piano, practice ballet and we have our feet confined in shoes most of the time. We need blood flow and circulation to all parts of our body, especially our digits.

I’ve combined finger and toe exercises with a low-impact, all-standing, easy cardiovascular workout to increase blood flow, get your heart pumping and to boost your mood. This workout is suitable for all ages, from kids to seniors. Have a sturdy chair nearby as there are a few exercises that challenge your balance.

If you have arthritics, carpal tunnel, neuropathy, poor circulation, Raynaud’s, or stiffness in your fingers and/or toes, this workout will get the blood flowing to those digits. I share health, exercise and nutrition tips in this video during the workout to share information that will protect your heart, reduce bodyfat, improve circulation, and help you feel fabulous.

In the workout, I also discuss which foods to eat, which foods to avoid and which foods to limit to promote proper blood flow and circulation. I go into detail about how all types of excess fat impedes blood flow, and why carbohydrates like fruit and vegetables enhance blood flow. Also discussed is the benefit of fiber from plant foods, such as their ability to clean out excess fat and cholesterol, and which foods promote healing.

In this video, you will find exercises such as rubbing hands together to warm them up, crunching and flexing the fingers and toes, finger flicks, prances, calf raises, and wrist and ankle rotations to name a few. You will also get to experience the wonderful feeling of fireworks fingers, spider fingers, and piano fingers exercises.

The exercises are not limited to just the fingers, toes, ankles, and feet, it’s a cardiovascular workout for the whole body. There’s even gentle stretching at the end.

Click the play button on the YouTube video below to start this workout, which you can even do seated if you like.

To get notified of new videos as soon as they are published, subscribe to my YouTube channel: Nina’s Nutrition and Exercise Videos.

The quickest way to find my YouTube channel is to go directly to my website thehighfivediet.com, and then scroll most of the way down the page, and then click on the red YouTube icon, which looks like a sideways triangle.