In fact, if you’re using the wrong oils in your cooking, you could be aging faster than you should, developing serious hormonal problems, “gumming” up your pipes, and even encouraging cancer.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to one of the healthiest oils you can eat – avocado oil.

Here are four good reasons to stock up on this age-defying ingredient:

• Trim your tummy. Avocado oil is one of the richest sources of monounsaturated fats on the planet. These healthy fats help lower insulin (aka, the fat storage hormone) and help reduce belly fat.

• Saute safely. Thanks to having a flashpoint of 500 degrees F, this full-flavored oil is excellent for cooking at high temperatures.

• Up your antioxidants. Avocado oil enables your body to absorb 17 times more carotenoids – the powerful antioxidants that give your salad its vibrant green, yellow, and red colors and guard your cells from free radical damage.

• Guard your vision. Avocado oil has twice as much lutein as olive oil. Lutein is a nutrient that provides strong protection against macular degeneration – the leading cause of blindness.

With so many delicious uses – and so many reasons to use it – you need to make this “miracle” oil a mainstay in your healing kitchen. Look for the Olivado brand at Target.

[Ed Note: Most so-called "healthy" oils are loaded with free radicals, just waiting to be drizzled on your salad so they can attack your DNA. But if you're a savvy shopper, you can spot them from a Texas mile. Kelley Herring's new book, Your Plate, Your Fate, will show you how.]

It’s true that our bodies are exposed to more toxins now than ever. And we do need to be aware of this fact. But drastic, costly methods for detoxing aren’t necessary (or even proven).

Effective detoxification may be as close as your backyard.

Research published in Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that vitamin D can help increase intracellular levels of the master antioxidant and detoxifier glutathione. In fact, vitamin D is such a powerful detoxifier that the researchers found it even helped escort mercury out of the body. This is especially impressive because mercury is a dangerous heavy metal that’s notorious for being hard to remove.

Unfortunately, more than 50 percent of us are deficient in this essential “D”-toxifying nutrient. To kick up your natural cleansing system, aim for 15-30 minutes of sunlight, 3-5 days a week, or take 2,000-5,000 IU of vitamin D daily.

[Ed Note: Did you know that there's a hidden ingredient in some carb-rich foods that reduces your body's production of glutathione? Learn where it's found and how to avoid it in Kelley Herring's new book series Your Plate, Your Fate.]

Last week, I gave you some guidelines for putting together snacks that will make you feel fueled instead of full. But if you aren’t quite sure how to apply those guidelines, here are some of my favorites. (The amounts are up to you.)

• Organic, steel-cut oatmeal with walnuts and cinnamon

The Benefit: With its slow-burning carbs, this stick-to-your ribs combo is great to fuel a long workout. But because it’s a little heavy, you may need to allow more time for digestion before you hit the gym.

• Organic Greek yogurt with organic blueberries

The Benefit: Greek yogurt is much higher in protein (and lower in carbs) than other yogurts, and blueberries are a low-glycemic fruit that won’t make you “crash and burn.”

• Eggs and toast with grass-fed butter

The Benefit: The protein in egg whites (albumin) is absorbed very slowly, so it will keep feeding your muscles long after your last rep.

• Organic peanut butter and whole-grain Wasa crackers or Ezekiel toast

The Benefit: The B vitamins in peanut butter help to prevent muscle spasms and cramps. They also help your body absorb protein and fat.

• Raw organic trail mix

The Benefit: Trail mix is a good source of phosphorous, a mineral that promotes muscle growth – as well as zinc, which speeds up muscle healing.

• Whey smoothie with fruit (made with milk or water)

The Benefit: Whey protein is the most bioavailable source of protein known – which means it is digested very rapidly. This is an ideal pre-workout choice for those who tend to have digestive discomfort when working out after eating solid snacks.

• Beans and sardines

The Benefit: The protein in both fatty fish and beans helps to get those carbohydrates into your muscles. This boosts the body’s anabolic response, and reduces the breakdown of tissue from exercise. Plus, you get some iron from these foods – and iron is a major component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen to the working muscles.

• Organic sliced turkey breast and apple slices

The Benefit: This combination supplies your muscles with major amino acids, thanks to the turkey. And because apples are low-glycemic, they contribute a source of blood-sugar-stabilizing carbs.

You can learn about 5 low-glycemic, super-sweet fruits that you can enjoy to power up your workout and blast more fat on page 22 of Your Guide to Living a Low-Glycemic Lifestyle. This is part of my Your Plate, Your Fate nutrition series. Learn more about it here.

“Kelley’s article regarding post-workout fueling was another good reminder of a ‘don’t’ for people working to get fit. My question: What is a good pre-workout ’snack’? I get up early in the morning to work out, and having to eat something immediately before that will likely give me a side ache or stomach ache. What is the best approach? Eating too little leaves me feeling lightheaded and limp. Eating too much and ugh!”

Audry Morell
Pompano Beach, FL

Hello Audry,

Thank you for the compliments – and for a great question!

Eating a little something before exercise is a great way to maximize your workout. It boosts performance and improves stamina, helps prevent low blood sugar (which saps energy and can cause lightheadedness), and fuels muscle and liver carbohydrate stores to provide lasting energy for the duration of your workout.

But if you don’t get the balance right, you’ll wind up feeling full – not fueled for your workout – as you found out.

The type of snack you should have depends on several factors: your metabolism and digestive system, as well as the type of exercise you’ll be doing. Because everyone’s metabolism and digestive system is unique, listen to your body to find your own balance and timing. You may also find it helpful to keep a journal of your snacks, workouts, and how you feel.

Meanwhile, here are some guidelines:

1. Blood flow to your belly for digestion means less to your muscles for fuel. It can also mean that you’ll feel bloated during your workout. Yuck! Aim to have a solid meal or snack 45-90 minutes before your workout. And allow more digestion time before intense exercise (like circuit training) as opposed to lower-intensity exercise (like Pilates).

2. If you have difficulty with digestion, go with a liquid snack instead of something solid. Liquids take less time to digest, and so can be enjoyed 30 minutes before your workout.

3. While sugary snacks will give you a quick boost, you will experience a drop in energy when your blood sugar levels stabilize. Don’t rely on too much fruit, and stay away from quick-converting sugars in general – especially before your workout.

4. Eating carb-heavy foods before a workout can interfere with performance and cause stomach discomfort – mainly because the body is still working to digest the carbs.

5. Opt for slow-burning low-glycemic carbs. A study published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition found that women who ate low-glycemic carbs before a workout burned 50 percent more fat during the workout. Wow!

If you want to learn all about the metabolic power ingredients that stimulate fat burning – and tasty ways to combine them to create a tummy-trimming pre-workout snack – check out pages 19 to 22 of “Your Guide to Living a Low-Glycemic Lifestyle.” It’s part of my new series, Your Plate, Your Fate. You can pick up a copy right here.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions from ETR readers about blood sugar. What most of them are concerned about is this: Which test is better – fasting blood sugar, oral glucose tolerance, or random blood sugar?

The answer is “none of the above.” It’s the glycated hemoglobin or A1C test.

The A1C is far superior to the other tests. Not only can it be used to diagnose diabetes, it also gauges how well a diabetic is managing his or her condition.

And that’s not all. The A1C tells you what percentage of your hemoglobin (a protein found in red blood cells) is sugar coated (glycated). And “sugar coated” is a really bad thing when it comes to your cells. In fact, these glycated compounds are associated with an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s, cataracts, and many other chronic ailments.

Ask your doctor for an A1C test. Ideally, you’ll want an A1C of less than 5 percent, which corresponds to an average glucose level of 90 mg/dL.

[Ed Note: If you steer clear of sugar, you're doing yourself a big favor. But if you've swapped the "white devil" for artificial sweeteners, there's something you should know. Studies show that people with diabetes who consume sucralose have significant increases in A1C. Find out about the dangers of artificial sweeteners (and the healthy alternatives) in Kelley Herring's revolutionary 7-part health transformation program, Your Plate, Your Fate. Get all the details and learn how to get 3 bonus books right here.]

Why not?

Looking for clues, I asked her to tell me a little bit more about her diet. High in protein and fiber, low in carbs, a good balance of healthy fats. It sounded great. Until I heard this: “I even refuel after every workout, like my trainer told me to, with a banana chocolate smoothie.”

Uh oh.

While many trainers encourage consuming a carb- and protein-rich meal or snack after a workout to promote muscle growth and speed recovery, recent research shows this can sabotage weight-loss efforts.

In fact, studies conducted at the University of Massachusetts found that walking on a treadmill for one hour per day improved blood sugar regulation by 40 percent. But that effect was completely wiped out when people noshed on carb-rich foods afterward.

Keeping your blood sugar stable flips your fat-storage hormone (insulin) off. So if you’re trying to drop a few pounds, skip the post-workout carbs. Opt, instead, for a balanced snack before your workout to make your time at the gym count.

[Ed Note: Eating a low-glycemic diet to keep your blood sugar stable is essential for weight loss. But when the pizza craving strikes (and you indulge), you can slash its fat-storing effects by up to 56% with eight foods. Find out what they are in Kelley Herring's revolutionary 7-part health transformation program, Your Plate, Your Fate. Get all the details and learn how to get 3 bonus books right here.]

In a recent scientific review published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension, researchers evaluated the literature for blood pressure studies on potassium, calcium, and magnesium. While all three of these nutrients help lower blood pressure, potassium was found to be of special importance. In fact, those getting the most potassium in their diets had the healthiest blood pressure levels.

It isn’t just that Americans consume too little potassium (about half the recommended daily allowance), but also that we get too much sodium (about twice the RDA). Because potassium and sodium have opposing roles in the body, too much sodium and too little potassium is a recipe for high blood pressure.

Here are three ways to help get your blood pressure into a healthy range:

• Steer clear of processed foods and plain table salt. Base your meals on fresh, whole foods and choose to season with herbs and spices. When you do use salt, use Celtic Sea Salt – a pure, natural salt that provides a balance of minerals, not just sodium.

• Enjoy more potassium-rich foods like avocados, beans, lentils, Swiss chard, spinach, and cremini mushrooms.

• Because most whole-foods multivitamins provide very little potassium, consider taking a potassium supplement (like potassium citrate) to get the 4.7 grams per day recommended by the Institute of Medicine.

[Ed. Note: Nutrition expert Kelley Herring - founder of Healing Gourmet has created a revolutionary 7-part health transformation program called Your Plate, Your Fate that reveals how you can protect your health and optimize your weight by maximizing the nutrients in your food. Get all the details and learn how to get 3 bonus books right here.

For advice about which foods you should - and shouldn't - be eating to stay in top health, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]

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The Third National Health and Nutrition Survey found that any level of lead in the blood that exceeds 2 mcg/dL significantly increased the risk for heart attack, stroke, and death. And here’s the really scary part… nearly 40 percent of Americans have lead levels high enough to increase their risk of stroke by 89 percent and their risk of heart attack by 151 percent!

Get your lead levels tested. You can get a do-it-yourself kit for $199 at labsafe.com. And if you’re in the danger zone, consult with a healthcare practitioner trained in chelation therapy who can help you get the lead out.

[Ed. Note: Nutrition expert Kelley Herring - founder of Healing Gourmet - has created a revolutionary 7-part health transformation program called Your Plate, Your Fate that reveals how you can protect your health and optimize your weight by maximizing the nutrients in your food. Get all the details and learn how to get 3 bonus books right here.

For advice about which foods you should - and shouldn't - be eating to stay in top health, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]

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A recent study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association shows that drinking at least three cups of green or black tea daily can slash stroke risk by 21 percent. What’s more, each increase of three cups was associated with an additional 21 percent reduction.

Researchers believe the effect may be due to an amino acid in the tea called theanine.

Because most tea is high in fluoride, choose a safe, fluoride-free alternative (like Body Ecology’s Green Tea Extract) or consider a theanine supplement. There’s approximately 20 mg of theanine in one cup of tea, so 60-120 mg in supplement form would give you as much theanine as the people in the study were getting.

[Ed. Note: Nutrition expert Kelley Herring - founder of Healing Gourmet - has created a revolutionary 7-part health transformation program called Your Plate, Your Fate that reveals how you can protect your health and optimize your weight by maximizing the nutrients in your food. Get all the details and learn how to get 3 bonus books right here.

For more advice about which foods you should - and shouldn't - be eating to stay in top health, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]

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Another way to keep breast cancer at bay is to kick two bad habits: eating too much and drinking too much alcohol.

• Slim Down

Fat cells don’t just sit there. They release inflammatory compounds called cytokines that can boost cancer risk. Get your weight under control by doing regular, vigorous exercise and eating portion-controlled, nutrient-rich meals.

• Beware of Booze

Excessive alcohol consumption significantly raises your risk of breast cancer, though research indicates that taking 800 mcg of folate daily negates this increased risk factor. If you choose to drink, drink only in moderation. (That means one drink/day for women.) Plus, make sure you’re getting enough folate through a high-quality whole foods vitamin supplement and folate-rich foods like lentils, asparagus, and chickpeas.

[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring - founder of Healing Gourmet - has created a revolutionary 7-part health transformation program called Your Plate, Your Fate that reveals how you can protect your health and optimize your weight by maximizing the nutrients in your food. Order today and you'll get 3 bonus books to help you clear your kitchen of harmful ingredients, spot the nutritional deficiencies that could be setting you up for disease, and find out about the 20 tests your doctor should perform (but probably hasn't) to guard your health. Learn more here.

For more advice about which foods you should - and shouldn't - be eating to stay in top health, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]

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