As many of you may know, I have one sister. We are exactly 14 months apart and have been the best of friends and inseparable since I can remember (Not to mention my mom dressed us exactly alike until we were 10 and 11 years old…How embarrassing!)

Well, for two girls who came out of the same woman, we couldn’t be more different, especially when it comes to our health and fitness. Where as I took my mom’s difficult health struggles (Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and Kidney failure) and turned it into my driving force to take care of myself, my sister just figured “Oh, that will never happen to me” (We all think we’re a bit invincible, right?)

Now, at 33 years old, Vicky’s theory has not held up. Her pregnancy was plagued by gestational diabetes which has now turned into full blown Type 2 Diabetes. Her weight has caused consistent high blood pressure. Also, at such a young age, she has been put on medications for both (Do you know anyone like this?). This is where Vicky knew things had to change.

Knowing that her weight was the cause of all these health issues, she decided to join a very well known weight loss system where you count points and sit in meetings once a week (need I say more?). It’s not that she doesn’t trust her nutritionist sister, she just wanted to find her own thing and do what she thought would work best for her.

After exactly 7 weeks of these meetings and tiresome point counting Vicky lost 4 lbs (pretty good, right?). However, here was the problem. Her blood sugar was not going down, it was going UP! Her blood pressure was not dropping, it was RISING! She received a call from her doctor informing her that her kidneys were struggling and that she would need another medication. This was when I received a call from poor Vicky in tears.

“Isabel, I will do whatever you say. I am too young for this. I don’t want to end up on dialysis like Mommy”

Well, I am happy to report that only after 6 days (yes, just 6 days) of being on a meal plan I gave her, Vicky has lost 4.6lbs, her blood sugar is normal (with no meds) and her blood pressure is back to normal. You may think this is an extreme exaggeration, but I promise you, it is not. After just 3 days of following the plan, her blood sugar stabilized so much she had to stop the diabetes medication and same with the blood pressure. I am by no means guaranteeing that this will happen for everyone or that you should just quit your meds on your own. Every person is different, but I have seen this happen more than once. Actually, more like a thousand times.

Yesterday, Vicky attended her weight loss weekly “meeting” and the leader couldn’t believe how much weight Vicky had lost and how well she was doing. During the meeting, the leader asked Vicky to share with the group exactly what she had done to achieve such a great week. Vicky first said “Well, I’m not sure you’re going to be happy with what I say, but here goes…

1. I threw out absolutely everything in my refrigerator and cupboards that was processed or was really just “fake food”. All of those snacks, bars and meals that (insert name of weight loss company here) promotes are really just junk and their ingredients are not only causing people to not lose weight, they are detrimental to our health.

2. If a food has more than 3 ingredients in it, I don’t eat it! I am sticking to natural meats, raw nuts, healthy oils and fruits & vegetables. Because I am focusing on combating my diabetes right now, I have greatly reduced the amount of grains I eat, but I know there will be a day that I can go back to them.

3. I stopped listening to all the “mainstream” advice and finally decided to listen to my crazy sister (yes, she called me crazy at her meeting). I’ve seen what she has done with herself, my mother and her clients and I can’t believe it took such an extreme situation for me to finally listen.

What can we learn from Vicky today? Cut out the processed stuff and let’s go back to wholesome, natural eating. Ingredients that sound like chemistry experiments are really just harming us in the long run. Last but not least, stop listening to all the “mainstream” media that tells you they have the latest quick fix to your weight problems. There is no quick fix! The only way to permanently change your weight and the state of your health is to find a long-term strategy that is enjoyable, satisfying and healthy.

I know Vicky is now committed to taking care of herself for the long-term. Not just for herself but for her beautiful 6 month old baby too.

Here’s the best part. Vicky is quite the chef and has come up with so many new Diet Solution approved, delicious recipes. Of course I will share them all with you. Stay tuned…

In health and happiness,

Isabel De Los Rios
www.TheDietSolutionProgram.com

People are always so shocked when I break out my salt shaker from my purse (like Mary Poppins and her umbrella and coat rack). You see, I absolutely love salt and I put it on everything, so I make sure to have it on hand all the time.

  

Now before you start lecturing me about high blood pressure and how unhealthy salting my food is, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Salt is good for you! Woohoo, salt it up baby!

People freak out on me when they see how much salt I use and then freak out even more when I tell them they MUST have salt as part of their healthy eating plan.

Here are the real facts (not to mention good news for saltaholics everywhere).

The human body cannot survive without salt (which is why you get a saline drip when you are in the hospital). Sodium is an essential nutrient that your body can’t manufacture on its own, therefore it must be consumed.

Here’s the problem. Most people are eating the wrong kind of salt. The only way to receive all the benefits of salt is to eat unrefined sea salt, NOT processed table salt.

The reason why salt has gotten such a bad reputation is because 99% of the world’s salt research has been done on commercial table salt, the only salt most people know about (which is bad, bad, bad). Some of the best scientific research on the healthy properties of unrefined sea salt are written in French, German and Portuguese and many Americans have not been exposed to them (until now, right?).

Well, not anymore. Unrefined sea salt has worked its magic in hundreds of my clients, and, not to mention, ME.

When you consider that sea salt aids in balancing blood sugar levels, is needed for the absorption of food particles through the intestinal tract, can help prevent muscle cramps, is needed to make bones strong, regulates and normalizes blood pressure, increases energy levels, helps regulate the metabolism, helps maintain proper electrolyte balance, and supports the immune system., how could you not use it?

What salt should you buy?

Look for unprocessed, unrefined sea salt. My favorite brands are Celtic Sea Salt, Redmond’s Real Salt and Himalayan Sea Salt (but any unprocessed, unrefined brand is great-be careful though, if it doesn’t mention unprocessed & unrefined assume it is not).

These salts can be found on these great websites:

www.celticseas.com and www.truefoodsmkt.com (Look for Mineral Rich Salts)

Oh, and of course, avoid refined white table salt at all costs (unless you want high blood pressure for some reason). This is the kind of salt we want to avoid like the plague.

So the next time someone tells you to take it easy on the salt, tell them “Salt it up, baby. It’s good for you and you’re really missing out.”

In health and happiness,

Isabel De Los Rios
www.TheDietSolutionProgram.com