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I love hearing back from clients after they finish my programs. They go off on their own and start living their lives without my check-ins and weekly support.

One thing I know is true is that many of the women I work with notice that their families join in the program with them  - offering support, adding energy to the process, and reaping the benefits of healthier choices too. Several detox-members have told me it was like getting 2 programs for the price of 1!

Here is a great example from Isabelle, one of my recent Detox graduates:

“When I decided to participate in Alex’s Detox Program, I felt in poor health.  I had gained weight, I had no energy, and aches and pains were creeping up all over my body: feet, hands, back. I had lost my spark and at fifty-one, I felt old and thought life was over.

Working with Alex has been an education and eye-opening experience.  Alex is enormously knowledgeable about food and its effect on the body and under her gentle guidance, I learned to discover a new way of eating, including new foods which I had never experimented with.

As a result, a few months later, my whole way of eating has changed.  I look forward to my green smoothies every morning, quinoa is my favorite grain and bean salads are a staple.  I eat a much more varied diet, enjoy what I eat a lot more, and have lost all interest in the so called “fun food” such as French fries, cookies, ice cream, croissants and such. I have also lost weight and feel 100% better.

My husband who experimented with me, benefited from the detox as well, and lost 20 pounds of extra weight without effort. He is feeling much more alert and excited about his life also.

Overall, this has been a priceless experience out of which we both have gained very important knowledge about nutrition and have built new habits, which support our health and vitality. Thank you Alex for sharing with us your vast knowledge about food and for supporting us in developing awareness about the way nutrition affects our lives.”

Isabelle M., Jersey City, NJ

Last week I took my 3.5 year old son to a new pediatrician. I had heard good things about this office, it is very close to our home, and they’re covered by our health insurance. I had heard that the doctors were open to holistic ways of treating children, and that they didn’t balk at parents who wanted to explore an alternative vaccination schedule. The office is nicely decorated and has a cornucopia of wooden toys that are well-maintained, as well as books, and a mechanical horse out front to ride. The receptionist even has tokens for each kid to ride for free, which is truly generous and thoughtful.

I was really surprised when I noticed a bowl of Splenda-sweetened, artificially colored lollipops in the examination room. I was wide-eyed and gulped when the very nice, very capable, and respectful doctor offered one to my son when he was finished with his exam. Luckily, I convinced him that he needed to eat lunch before having a treat, and was able to get rid of the chemical laden lolli without him noticing. It was blue.

Rather than give in to my growing fear and anger, lash out at the doctor, and say something inappropriate and stupid, I waited. All weekend. I said nothing. But this morning I wrote a letter to the doctor and plan on taking it, along with some of the wonderful, naturally colored and sweetened lollipops from http://www.naturalcandystore.com/ by her office.

Here is what I wrote:

Dear Dr. XX,

Laken and I truly enjoyed our first visit to your office last week. He was obviously very comfortable with you and your staff, and I appreciated how respectful everyone was in speaking with him and asking him to participate in various tests. He loved the toys, of course, and it was so generous of your office to give us tokens to ride the horse out front – he had been wanting to ride for ages!

Just to give you an idea of what I do for a living, and where my head is most of the time, I work as a food and health writer, and as a Holistic Health Counselor. I have published two books: The Great American Detox Diet, and Living Vegan For Dummies. My next book, Vegan Cooking For Dummies, will be published this November. I mainly work with busy, professional women who need to get their health concerns cleared up so they can continue to go after big goals, while juggling family and career. Most of my clients are parents and often have children with health concerns and learning disabilities.

In researching various aspects of vegan living, I have come across mountains of information about snack foods and candy. Because many kids in Laken’s school have food allergies and sensativities, there has been a lot of conversation between parents and the staff about what types of treats we may bring in to share.

Much of the research regarding candy and food colorings has lead parents to request that all treats listing  artificial flavors, artificial colors, and artificial sweeteners like Splenda be kept at home.  I have felt a lot more comfortable offering Laken the occasional treat that is colored with natural food dyes and is sweetened naturally.

I thought you might like to try a couple of products that I have found. Both of the local health food stores in our neighborhood carry these items. They can also be found online at http://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/organic-lollipops.

Thanks again for making us feel welcome to your practice, and I hope the rest of your summer is fun and easy.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Jamieson

**If you run into a similar experience, let me know. And feel free to copy-paste my letter!

UPDATE!!!

So, I dropped off the letter along with a couple of packages of healthier lollipops from www.naturalcandystore.com. I breathed deeply and hoped that the doctor would be understanding. I was amazed at the response!

Within 2 hours I received a voice message from our new favorite pediatrician. Not only was she impressed and thankful for my letter, but she was deeply gracious and kind. She said she was going to start offering the healthy candy I had dropped off – in fact, they were already on order! She said she had been considering the change for a while and had ordered the healthy stuff a few weeks ago. She was thrilled to know that I had a similar viewpoint and is also specializing in childhood nutrition – in fact, she’s writing a book!

I couldn’t be happier with how this all turned out. I’m also glad I didn’t jump to conclusions and get emotionally defiant in her office. She’s a thoughtful, positive doctor and I’m glad we’re a part of her clientele.

Happy ending!

Alexandra

I’m busy preparing for my next 8 Week Reboot Detox program, beginning on Tuesday, September 14th at 2pm, and can’t believe how many extras this group will receive!

This 8 Week Reboot Detox will:

Energize your body and eliminate fatigue and lethargy
Kick start the weight-loss process
End the cycle of toxicity and inflammation
Relieve stress and boost your mood
Repair your digestion and minimize constipation, bloating, gas, cramps, IBS, and yeast
Address underlying causes of chronic illnesses and long-standing diseases
Increase overall immunity
Instill natural detoxing processes for the rest of your life!

All members will receive:

Over 100 detoxifying recipes
Plans for smarter shopping and choosing detoxifying foods in the grocery store
Private 1-hour consult with Alexandra (*If you sign up by 8/27)
Knowledge of what foods and herbs work better for your individual
body constitution
Step-by-step support and guidance
8 weekly tele-course calls
Continual support via the members-only e-group and online classroom
Recordings of each class

**And if you sign up by 8/27 you’ll also receive a one-on-one consultation with Alexandra and the famous Detox Box filled with tools, books, products, and surprises, valued at over $250!

To sign up and learn more, go here today!

(See what past Detox Members are saying about their incredible experiences here…)

The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine released a hopeful study showing that office workers can really improve their health and energy, as well as their productivity, when they have low-fat, plant-based lunch options:

“So easy, a caveman could do it. That’s how dozens of GEICO employees felt when they followed a low-fat vegan diet in a worksite study, losing 11 pounds on average. The findings, published in July’s American Journal of Health Promotion, show that office workers can lose weight, lower blood pressure, and reduce absenteeism if their employer provides healthy low-fat vegetarian meals in the company cafeteria…”

Read the full article here:

http://pcrm.org/newsletter/aug10/geico.html

Every week we get a different story from the mainstream media about the safety of soy – so is it safe or not?

(The bigger question is: is it safe to get your health and medical information from the mainstream media?)

A new meta-analysis from Dr. Justine Butler shows that much of the scary stories about soy are unfounded. Check out the full article here!

For more research from the experts, read Dr. Neal Barnard’s recent article on HuffingtonPost on the benefits of eating the right kinds of soy foods (put down the isolated soy protein and walk away, ma’am!)

Be well,

Alexandra

As a mom who examines every label, I thought I was informed.

But then I forgot that many packages don’t list the heavy metals that might be lurking inside.

The good folks at EnviroLaw tested juice boxes and packaged fruit for lead content and found a staggering 85% contained lead. What was truly surprising is that many organic brands are listed. Which leads me to wonder if the packaging itself may contain lead, or if it’s part of the manufacturing process that adds lead to the final product. This is similar to High Fructose Corn Syrup containing mercury or organic canned foods containing traces of BPA. Both instances result from the processing or packaging.

Here is the full list from www.envirolaw.org:

Apple Juice

For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of

lead per serving:

Beech Nut 100% Apple Juice

Earth’s Best Organics Apple Juice

First Street 100% Apple Cider from concentrate

First Street Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice

Full Circle Organic Apple Juice

Gerber 100% Juice Apple Juice

Great Value 100% No Sugar Added Apple Juice

Hansen’s Natural Apple Juice

Kroger 100% Juice Apple Juice

Langers Apple Juice 100% Juice

Minute Maid Juice Apple – 100% Apple Juice

Motts 100% Apple Juice

O Organics Organic Unfiltered Apple Juice Not From Concentrate

Old Orchard 100% Apple Juice

Parade 100% Juice Apple

Raley’s Premium 100% Apple Juice not from Concentrate

Safeway 100% Juice Apple Cider

Safeway 100% Juice Apple Juice

Stater Bros. 100% Juice Apple Juice

Sunny Select 100% Apple Juice

Trader Joe’s Certified Organic Apple Juice, pasteurized

Tree Top 100% Juice Apple Cider

Walgreens Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice

Walnut Grove Market 100% Apple Juice

For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per

serving:

Great Value 100% Apple Juice not from concentrate

Harvest Day 100% Apple Juice from Concentrate

Kirkland Fresh Pressed Apple Juice Pasteurized

Martinelli’s Gold Medal Apple Juice 100% pure from US grown fresh apples

R.W. Knudsen Organic Apple Juice unfiltered

Raley’s Everyday 100% Apple Juice

Sunny Select 100% Unfiltered Apple Juice

Trader Joe’s Fresh Pressed Apple Juice all natural pasteurized, 100% juice

Tree Top 100% Apple Juice

Tree Top Three Apple Blend 100% Fresh Pressed Juice

Grape Juice

For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of

lead per serving:

365 Everyday Value Organic 100% Juice Concord Grapes

First Street Grape Juice from concentrate 100% juice

Gerber 100% Juice – White Grape Juice

Great Value 100% Grape Juice

Kedem Concord Grape Juice 100% pure grape juice

Kroger Grape Juice 100% Juice

Langers Grape Juice (Concord)

Langers Red Grape Juice

O Organics Organic Grape Juice from concentrate

R.W. Knudsen Just Concord Grape Juice

R.W. Knudsen Organic Just Concord

Raley’s 100% Grape Juice

Safeway 100% Juice Grape Juice

Safeway Organic Grape Juice

Santa Cruz Organic Concord Grape Juice

Stater Bros. 100% Juice Grape Juice

Stater Bros. 100% Juice White Grape Juice

Sunny Select 100% Grape Juice

Trader Joe’s Concord Grape Juice made from fress pressed organic concord grapes

Tree Top 100% Juice, Grape

Valu Time Grape Drink from Concentrate

Walgreens Grape Juice from concentrate 100% juice

Walnut Acres Organic Concord Grape

Walnut Grove Market Grape Juice

Welch’s 100% Grape Juice (from Welch’s Concord Grapes)

Welch’s 100% Red Grape Juice from Concentrate

For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per

serving:

Old Orchard Healthy Balance Grape

Packaged Pears

For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of

lead per serving:

Best Yet Bartlett Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup

Del Monte Diced Pears in Light Syrup

Del Monte Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup

Del Monte Pear Halves, Bartlett Pears in 100% real fruit juice from concentrate

Dole Pear Halves in Juice

First Street Diced Pears

First Street Sliced Bartlett

Full Circle Organic Bartlett Pear Slices

Gerber 3rd Foods Pears [Baby Food]

Great Value Bartlett Pear Halves in 100% Juice

Great Value Bartlett Sliced Pears in Heavy Syrup

Market Pantry Diced Pears in Light syrup

Maxx Value Pear Pieces in Light Syrup

Polar Pear Halves in light syrup

S&W Natural Style Pear Slices in Juice

S&W Sun Pears Premium

Safeway Lite Bartlett Pear Halves in Pear Juice

Safeway Pear Halves in Light Juice

Sunny Select Pear Halves in Pear Juice

Trader Joe’s Pear Halves in white grape juice

Truitt Brothers Pacific NorthWest Bartlett Pear Halves, in pear juice from concentrate

Valu Time Irregular Bartlett Pear Slices

Walnut Grove Market Natural Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup

For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per

serving:

Eating Right Kids Diced Pears Fruit Cups

Stater Bros. Diced Pears Snack Bowl

Packaged Peaches

For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of

lead per serving:

Best Yet Yellow Cling Peach Halves in Heavy Syrup

Del Monte Freestone Peach Slices in 100 % Juice

Del Monte Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in 100 % Juice

Del Monte Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in heavy syrup

Dole Diced Peaches, Yellow Cling in light syrup

First Street Yellow Cling Peaches in heavy syrup

Gerber 3rd Foods Peaches [Baby Food]

Golden Star Peach Halves in Heavy Syrup

Great Value Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches

Libby’s Yellow Cling Peach Slices No Sugar Added (Sweetened with Splenda)

Market Pantry Diced Peaches in light syrup

Polar Peach Slices

Raley’s Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in Heavy Syrup

S&W Natural Style Yellow Cling Peach Slices in Lightly Sweetened Juice

S&W Premium Peach Halves Yellow Cling Peaches in light syrup

Safeway Diced Peaches in Light Syrup

Safeway Yellow Cling Peach Slices in Pear Juice

Simple Value Yellow Cling Peaches in light syrup

Stater Bros. Yellow Cling Peach Halves

Stater Bros. Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches in heavy syrup

Sunny Select Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches in Pear Juice

Trader Joe’s Yellow Cling Peach Halves in while grape juice

Valu Time Yellow Cling Peach Slices

Walnut Grove Market Natural Peaches Sliced Yellow Cling in Light Syrup

For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per

serving:

Dole Diced Peaches, Cling in Light Syrup

Dole Diced Peaches, Freestone in Light Syrup

Dole Sliced Peaches

Eating Right Kids Diced Peaches in Extra Light Syrup

Stater Bros. Diced Peaches Snack Bowl

Fruit Cocktail

For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of

lead per serving:

Best Yet Chunky Mixed Fruit in Pear Juice

Chef’s Review Fruit Cocktail

Del Monte 100% Juice Fruit Cocktail

Del Monte Chunky Mixed Fruit in 100 % Juice (peach, pear, grape, etc.)

Del Monte Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup (peach, pear, grapes)

Del Monte Fruit Cocktail No Sugar Added

Del Monte Lite Fruit Cocktail in Extra Light Syrup

Dole Mixed Fruit in Light Syrup

Eating Right Fruit Cocktail packed in Sucralose

Eating Right No Sugar Fruit Cocktail

First Street Fruit Cocktail in heavy syrup

Golden Star Mixed Fruit in Light Syrup (peach, pineapple, pears)

Great Value No Sugar Added Fruit Cocktail

Kroger Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup

Kroger Lite Fruit Cocktail in Pear Juice

Kroger Value Fruit Mix (Peaches, pears, grapes)

Libby’s Fruit Cocktail No Sugar Added (Sweetened with Splenda)

Market Pantry Mixed Fruit in light syrup

Maxx Value Fruit Mix in Light Syrup (peach, pear, grape)

Mrs. Brown’s Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup (peaches, pears, grapes)

Polar Mixed Fruit

Raley’s Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup

S&W Natural Style Fruit Cocktail in Lightly Sweetened Juice

Safeway Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup

Safeway Light Sugar Fruit Cocktail

Safeway Lite Fruit Cocktail in Pear Juice

Stater Bros. Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup

Sunny Select Fruit Cocktail in Juice

For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per

serving:

Del Monte Mixed Fruit

Check out this killer list of healthy foods that cost pennies!

(And yes! They’re mostly plant-based foods!)

It’s like my Mom and Dad always said – you’ll save money and your health if you cook at home.

In her article titled “13 Diet Foods Worth Buying” Elaine Magee, MPH, RD offers her topsuggestions for low calorie foods to use for weight loss.  As I read the WebMD expert’s list and saw that, as she described,  “all [the foods] are lower in calories, and all are pretty tasty,” I was curious about the actual ingredients in some of these foods. I was dismayed at what I saw.

The products that food expert Magee recommended contain hidden MSG, high fructose corn syrup, and aspartame. These ingredients can cause health problems over time and should be avoided.

Here’s what I saw:

Boca Original Meatless Chick’n Patties – contain non-organic (therefore it’s GMO) soy, as well as yeast extract which most likely is hiding MSG.

Coca-Cola Zero (regular or cherry flavor) – which contains phosphoric acid, aspartame, and potassium benzoate. Phosphoric acid is believed by many health experts to leach calcium out of bones.

Low Calorie G2 Electrolyte Beverage (by Gatorade), Fruit Punch flavor – contains high fructose corn syrup

Let’s tackle the aspartame first, shall we? This artificial sweetener floods your nervous system and can cause excessive firing of brain neurons leading to headaches, mental confusion, dizziness and seizures. Aspects of aspartame also break down into formaldehyde, which causes cancer in humans.

Aspartame is found in over 6,000 food, supplement, and beverage products in the United States. You can find it branded as NutraSweet and Equal. I encourage you to remove any products from your house or diet that contain this dangerous ingredient.

Several of the products on the WebMD list also contained non-organic dairy products, which are likely from cows fed antibiotics and growth hormones. The quality of these “diet foods” is very poor. They’re mostly packaged, processed, and refined foods.

A few contain “natural and artificial flavors,” which can contain tar and preservatives that act as neurotoxins. The label “natural and artificial flavors” should bring up a red flag. MSG may be legally labelled “natural flavors” in order to hide it. Healthy natural flavors exist, but some are excitotoxins or neurotoxins. A common ingredient you’ll see in this category is “hydrolyzed soy protein.” This “natural flavor” is just like MSG, or monosodium glutamate. MSG has been proven to break down the blood-brain barrier and over-stimulates, or “excite” the neurons of a brain to a dangerous degree. Frequent consumption in mammals has shown the development of tumors, memory loss, and a whole host of neurodegenerative diseases as the end result of excess excitotoxin intake, including Alzhiemer’s, Parkenson’s, Lou Gerhig’s etc.

For more information on MSG and other excitotoxins that may be lurking in your food (and on Elaine Magee’s recommended food lists), get yourself a copy of Russell Blaylock’s book:

Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.

Also, MSG is suspected of causing compulsive eating, leading people to want more and more food. You wonder where that old joke about getting hungry an hour after eating Chinese take-out came from? It’s the MSG, baby.

To wrap this all up, please avoid any foods that contain MSG, high fructose corn syrup, or aspartame. Be good to your body, feed it fresh food that it can understand, and don’t poison it with these “diet foods.”

Be well,

Alexandra

Come visit hundreds of exhibitor booths, learn about breakthrough health and nutrition theories and products, and see some of the top experts in the field this weekend!

Saturday, June 5th: 5pm

Lecture: Meet the Heroes of the Health Freedom Movement

- In this panel discussion, you’ll see Robert Scott Bell, Dick Gregory, Kevin Trudeau, Dr. Joseph Mercola, John Gray and Alexandra Jamieson discuss the state of American health care.

Adventure Room

Sunday, June 6th: 1pm

Lecture: How A Vegan Diet Will Save The World!

Utopia A Room