The Public Eye Should Hold the Tongue

I was struck with a story I saw today of a news anchor who on air publicly shared an e-mail she received from a critical viewer.

As a Mother of 3 young girls, Jennifer Livingston felt this the perfect opportunity to point out that bullying happens at all ages.

The following is Jennifer's public response as well as her subsequent interview on CBS This Morning.



As Jennifer points out, she is aware of her weight and has struggled since the birth of her first child 10 years ago. The fact that the critical viewer points out her responsibility to the community is ignorant. Would Jennifer be a better role model if she was lean or very thin? How would we know that the choices she was making to maintain a lean body were healthy? What if Jennifer as a lean woman silently suffered bulimia? Took diet pills or other amphetamines? We would never know. Outer appearance should never be the basis of a quality role model. Rather their actions speak far louder than that of their appearance.

We don't know the struggles of others. We don't know Jennifer's issues at a cellular level. Likely, she could be insulin resistant, her thyroid might be slowed, as a media reporter and Mother of 3 young children,(the youngest only 1 year) her sleep is likely not only interrupted but minimal at best.

Top all of this with the flawed USDA low fat advice and fear, these are the very real issues with human health and a lack of leaner body mass.

I applaud Jennifer. What a beautiful woman both inside and out. I'm sure there are plenty of women who wake up every morning wishing and hoping that their appearance was different. This takes time and does not just happen over night but we must be proud of who we are and be thankful for every day that we have here on this earth no matter our looks, size, shape or struggles.

I see within my own circles of social media the callous judgement of others. Before you make a judgement, stop and think about the potential struggles another might have and remember, none of us is perfect and each of us will always have work to do.

Certain Veggies Combat Abdominal Fat & Cancer?

Yes, that’s right! Consuming certain vegetables can help you reduce your tummy bulge as well, prevent certain cancers! These veggies contain phytonutrients that actually fight a particular type of tummy fat so many suffer today.

Due to exposure from household cleaners, plastics, cosmetics, pesticides, herbicides and insecticides, your body must do something with these toxic compounds that have the ability to mimic or convert to estrogen in the body. This particular estrogen is referred to as “Xenoestrogen.” These chemical compounds can affect not only Women but Men alike.

These estrogenic chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis can stimulate your body to store belly fat, along with many other problems (including cancer risks in the long term).

I frequently recommend the incorporation of more cruciferous or brassica vegetables to my clients to not only reduce belly fat but assist in preventing cancers in the long term.

What’s so unique about this class of vegetables? A chemical compound known as a phytonutrient, indole-3-carbinol or (I3C). Researchers are interested in indole-3-carbinol for cancer prevention, particularly breast, cervical and endometrial, and colorectal cancer. Their reason is that diets with higher amounts of vegetable consumption are associated with a decreased risk of developing cancer. Researchers suspect indole-3-carbinol is one of several vegetable components that might protect against this devastating disease.

Indole-3-carbinol can shift estrogen metabolism towards less estrogenic metabolites. This gives true meaning to the Hippocrates oath “Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food.”

If you have been diagnosed estrogen dominant and would like to choose a natural course of action, there is supplemental indole-3-carbinol as well as another estrogen shifting supplement referred to as DIM (Diindolylmethane) I3c must convert to DIM in the GI tract so you may bypass the I3c all together and opt for the more bioavailable DIM at your health food store for a more aggressive approach.

There has been some research and anecdotal evidence that I3c can have side effects particularly with long term use.

Adding the vegetables mentioned below or supplemental DIM can have a balancing effect benefiting disorders and symptoms associated with estrogen-progesterone imbalance, including but not limited to:

• Fibrocystic diseases
• Fibromyalgia
• Endometriosis
• Uterine fibroid tumors
• Ovarian cysts
• Irregular periods
• Chronic, recurring breast pain
• PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)

To maintain good health and prevent or fight your belly fat, include these veggies more frequently:

• Brussels Sprouts
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Bok Choy
• Cabbage
• Collard Greens

Don’t forget to add some form of fat like butter, ghee or coconut oil to maximize your absorption of important fat soluble vitamins and if you suffer from thyroid disease, be sure to steam them to assist in neutralizing those goitrogens, compounds that can negatively affect your already compromised thyroid. I actually recommend everyone lightly steam for increased bio-availability of all nutrients. This is a “pre-digestion” of sorts.

Remember too that reducing your insulin secretion is another trick in combating belly fat and this can be done through any one of my phases of dietary advice. Head over to my website to choose a plan that works for your lifestyle. If you would like a free e-mail consultation on deciding which plan is right for you, don’t hesitate to e-mail me at freehealthydietplans@gmail.com.

In good health!