​You don’t have to do it ALL but you should at least make your health a priority with some of your time, money and effort every single day! 

Have a juice that consists of:
Romaine
Spinach
Parsley
Mint
Cucumber
Celery
Green Apple
Ginger
Lemon
Lime 

As a survivor of childhood and also adult obesity, when I hear the new stats come out about how much childhood obesity has risen over the past 20 years, it both sickens and saddens me. When I was a kid I was one of the 2 or 3 heavy kids in class, now the classes are filled with well over 30% obese and overweight children. According to the CDC, approximately 17% of children ages 2-19 are obese in America alone. But how do organizations like the CDC categorize obesity in children? At your child’s doctor appointment, the physician calculates their BMI (Body Mass Index), and compares it to children across the country of the same gender and age. If they find your child’s BMI placed in the 95th percentile or above, they would classify them as obese.
 
Childhood obesity has steadily been on the rise over the past 15 years, rising 3.3% from 1999 (See Figure 5), and more than doubling from 1970. Alongside this, childhood obesity rates are steadily increasing at the same rate as adults, indicating that a parent’s lifestyle choices could be having an affect on the obesity rate. Recent studies have further aided this idea, stating that what a parent eats, a child will eat (in most cases). And with fast food, junk food, and soda being the go-to meal or snack, the odds they will want to follow suit are high. Let’s face it, foods that are bad for us can be pretty darn tasty. However, they are never ever good for us. Foods like this are full of empty calories, saturated fats, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, GMOs, high volumes of sodium and the list goes on. All things we shouldn’t be eating if we want to remain healthy.
 
The side effects of childhood obesity can also shape a child’s future forever, with obese children being more likely to become obese adults. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “About a third (26 to 41%) of obese preschool children were obese as adults, and about half (42 to 63%) of obese school-age children were obese as adults.” That is a startling fact that deserves a great deal of attention, considering that obesity can also lead to a whole host of physical and mental problems. Some physical factors include an increased risk for Type 2 Diabetes, cancers and heart problems, as well as a shortened life span. Mental side effects of obesity as a child include low self-esteem, school bullying, poor school performance, depression and overall emotional eating to combat the depression.
 
So in closing, if parents are the real “role models” for their child’s eating and exercise patterns, what can they do? I suggest changing your lifestyle. If it’s not for yourself, do it for your children. The changes you make now can affect generations to come. Some of my top suggestions would be cutting out processed foods, becoming more physically active and being overall more mindful of the decisions you make in regards your health. Below is a list of recommended foods, foods to avoid and supplements that are helpful to balance blood sugar.  World of Nutrition would also like to help. Come into our store today, and one of our knowledgeable staff would be happy to lend a hand.
 
Recommended Foods:

• Organic Fats & Oils: Avocado, Grass Fed Butter, Coconut Oil, Ghee, Macadamia Nut Oil, Olive Oil
• Proteins: Grass Fed Beef, Organic Eggs, Organic Chicken, Clams, Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon, Scallops, Tuna, Organic Turkey, Wild Caught Fish
• Organic Vegetables: Asparagus, Leafy Green Vegetables, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumbers, Kale, Mushrooms, Olives, Radishes, Spinach, Snow Peas, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Turnips
• Organic Nuts & Seeds: Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Hazelnuts, Macadamia Nuts, Pecans, Walnuts, Peanuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Flax, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds
• Organic Fruits: Blueberries, Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries
• Sweeteners: Stevia, Erythritol, Xylitold (from Birch Trees) Lo Han Guo, Monk Fruit

 
Foods to Avoid:

• Always avoid GMO corn, soy and canola
• Absolutely no hydrogenated oils-vegetable oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, and canola oil.
• Refined Sugar: Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Glucose Syrup, and Crystalline Fructose.  Even raw honey and maple sugar will spike your blood sugar.  Absolutely no agave.  Agave is 90% fructose and although it is low glycemic it interferes with the production of hunger hormones like leptin and ghrelin.
• Grains: Foods that contain grains, especially gluten, are broken down quickly into sugar.  Your mouth secretes enzymes that begin breaking down carbohydrates the second you start eating them.  You should avoid all grains, even whole grains, for at least 12 weeks as you begin to reverse type 2 diabetes. 
• Dairy: Watch for natural and hidden sugars in all forms of dairy.  Always purchase dairy that is from Organic and Grass Fed Cows.
• Alcohol: Most alcohol quickly increase blood sugar levels.   Beer and sweet liquors are high in sugar.

 
Recommended Supplements:
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Berberine
Chromium
Gymnema
Bitter Melon
Fenugreek
Cinnamon

Many people ask me if I have any tips for maintaining a healthy weight. My first piece of advice is always, hands down to STOP Making Excuses! Yes, you heard right. The only thing holding you back from living well and maintaining a healthy weight is your excuses. Believe it or not, you can eat healthy. You can exercise. You can get off your ass and make yourself a healthier person! Here are some tried and true tips that have helped me in my quest for achieving and maintaining weight loss:
 
 Quit Drinking and Eating Processed Foods
I know and I'm sorry, but alcohol causes depression and depression makes you overeat, causing fat to build up. The scary thing about fat is that is loves to hold on to toxins, sometimes for dear life. And as you probably know, toxins are not something you want to be carrying around on a daily basis. Cutting back on the amount of processed foods you consume is also advised for maintaining weight loss. Why? Because there is no nutrition left in processed food. Most packaged foods are depleted of all nutrition. In fact, almost all items with nutrition facts on the package don’t have any nutrition in them at all.
 
Quit Using Toxic Chemicals on Your Body
Well, except for maybe some hair color, you should attempt to limit the chemicals that come in contact with your body. The chemicals you put on your skin, in your mouth, or on your head contain hormone disruptors and toxins that are later stored in your fat cells. And as we mentioned earlier.... fat loves to hold on to toxins!
 
Do Practice Mindfulness
I know I may sound like a hippy but having a mind, body and soul connection is necessary for permanent weight loss. One of the most important things you can do is pay attention to your body and how it reacts to certain situations. For instance, do you eat when you are bored or actually hungry? How does your body feel during and after exercise? Does stress or your environment affect your eating and exercise habits? Knowing how your body reacts to certain situations will help your overcome any weight maintenance barriers you may be facing.
 
Do Breathe
Oxygen is the most abundant element in our body. We are meant to breathe hard. Our lungs, blood and brain need a lot of oxygen to function properly. Oxygen also plays a deep role in weight loss. Ever wondered where your fat goes when you lose it? It may be hard to believe, but we actually exhale lost fat! Exhaled fat helps plants photosynthesize (if you're feeling noble) and contributes to global warming (if you're feeling guilty). Interestingly, this also means that the lungs are the primary excretory organs for fat. Now there’s food for thought!
 
Stop Being Disappointed
In the past you’ve probably tried dozens of weight loss fads that never lived up to their supposed super power. Only to find they just resulted in the feelings of disappointment and regret that you DIDN’T see results and wasted a TON OF MONEY! Bummer right? Well you’re not alone. Here is a quick cheat sheet detailing what I’ve personally tried for the past 25 years. For more detailed information on some of these supplements download our Weight Loss WON “0” WON flyer from our website.
Some of the weight loss products I’ve been trying over the last 25 years...and still use from time to time.
Some of the products I’ve found to work for maintaining weight loss..

​Like what you’ve read? Want to make a change? Here at WON we are all about helping you win the weight loss battle! In light of this, we are hosting a FREE class entitled Healthy Habits for Maintaining Weight Loss. In this class you will learn the secrets to not only losing weight, but keeping it off! The class will be held May 18, 2016 at 6:30 pm at our WON store in Nampa, Idaho. Sign up today! 

How I WON the Health Battle!
 
My name is Kris Wear and I am the co-owner of World of Nutrition (WON), the Treasure Valley's largest independent health food store. I spent most of my life obese even while, ironically, working in a health food store. I have been addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, cheese, chips, and ice cream. I knew if I kept at this pace, I would surely die young.
 
In 2011, I decided that I wanted to become the picture of health and started to replace all of those bad habits or addictions with healthy habits. I made sure that I used the vast resources available to me and made a commitment to make my health my number 1 priority every day of my life because that's what you have to do if you want to be healthy. Health cannot be down on your priority list; it has to be at the top.
 
Here is a list of ways that I’ve changed my health and my life:

1. Don't listen to anyone else's advice about weight loss...listen to your body.

Your body knows when it is being deprived of the nutrition it needs in order to function. It requires nutritious foods that will sustain your energy levels, and ultimately lead to an increase in fat burning because you are feeding it what it needs. We all know crash diets don’t work. With a crash diet, you may experience the short-term benefits, but it is never sustainable over the long run. So how does one begin making a healthy weight loss plan? I enjoy the rather intrinsic Reflect, Replace, Reinforce motto presented by the CDC. It goes a little like this:

• REFLECT on all of your specific eating habits, both bad and good; and, your common triggers for unhealthy eating.
• REPLACE your unhealthy eating habits with healthier ones.
• REINFORCE your new, healthier eating habits.

1. Stop making excuses - every reason you have not to eat healthy or exercise is an excuse. 

You’ve heard the excuses (or maybe you’ve used them). They may have sounded a little like this: “Well I would eat healthy foods, but I don’t have time,” or “I’ve tried to exercise, but I’m always too tired after work.” While these may be entirely true statements in your body’s present state, that doesn’t mean the future you can’t do these things. Exercising and eating has a snowball effect, in that the more you make healthy choices, the easier the next choice will be. Bottom line: it starts with one right, healthy choice to get the ball moving. Don’t let your next choice be an excuse, or you may never realize your body’s full potential.

1. Quit drinking alcohol - alcohol causes depression and when you're depressed you overeat. 

Another classic case of the snowball effect (see #2 above), but well, in reverse (for our purposes). The more you make unhealthy choices, the easier and easier it becomes to make being unhealthy a lifestyle. This includes drinking alcohol. The scary thing about the snowball effect in these terms is it’s much easier to remain unhealthy than it is to become healthy. So the more you drink, the farther you push yourself away from a more healthier you! Now I’m not implying that deprive yourself from the occasional wine, beer or cider (make sure it’s organic), but what I am saying is a majority of your health choices should be to eat good, healthy, delicious food.

1. Quit eating as much processed food as you possibly can.

Do you know what a Carageenan (kar-ə-gē-nən) is? In short, it is made from seaweed, and when we ingest it, our stomach turns it into an inflammatory toxin. Can someone say gross! Check your labels, and stay as clean as possible when it comes to what you intake. Your life may depend on it!
 
Need some help with your health journey? WON has a complete store stocked full of nutritious food and a knowledgeable staff that is happy to help! Check us out on the web, or visit us at our convenient downtown Nampa location.

​​If you could describe 1-3 “WON essential” for every customer what would they be? 
Only three? Take a great quality multi-vitamin, omega 3 fish oil, and a high quality live probiotic. Also, cut out as much processed food as you possibly can, drink water and get some exercise… that way all of the amazing supplements we sell will work better for you. 

Ok onto the fun questions! What’s your favorite color? 
Blue
 
Favorite smell? 
Peppermint
 
Weirdest (but most interesting) food you’ve eaten to date? 
Well, people think I’m weird for the breakfast that I eat... which is hard-boiled eggs and sauerkraut.

If you could visit one place in the entire world, where would it be?
Wow, this is the toughest question. I have never been to Europe so I would love to go to there, especially to The Netherlands, Italy and Spain. I would also love to go to Peru to visit Machu Picchu and learn about the amazing medicinal herbal remedies that grow there.
 
Favorite TV show or movie to date?
My favorite TV show is Seinfeld because of the memorable one-liners and how much it makes me laugh. My favorite movie of all time is Forrest Gump because it makes me laugh, and also makes me cry, no matter how many times I have seen it.