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Nestled in the Fox Valley of a quiet neighborhood by Lake Winnebago is a small urban farm. For many years my Aunt has grown a rather extensive vegetable garden. We are at the harvest season right now and as always, I am truly amazed. Her garden always produces vast quantities of great produce. Often much better quality than what we can get from the Farmers Market or the local farm stands.

While the topic of “food addiction” remains controversial, scientists have found significant overlaps between the effects of overeating certain palatable foods and drugs of abuse. There are innate biological processes that occur in our brain daily which reinforce the feeding behavior as well as other behaviors that are essential for survival. Dr. Nicole Avena, noted research neuroscientist/psychologist and author of Why Diets Fail explains the science behind the truth of sugar addiction.

I had the privilege of meeting Jonathan Bailor and his lovely wife Angela on the 2013 Low Carb Cruise. I was impressed by Jonathan's passion for helping others and his talk was informative and entertaining. By the end of the cruise I knew I had to read his book The Smarter Science of Slim. I can honestly say this book didn't disappoint.

The population as a whole spends the majority of their waking hours sitting – to the tune of 10 or more hours a day, whether it be in a meeting or in front a computer screen. While the television has been blamed for our sedentary lifestyle, when it comes down to it, leisure time is in short supply but we still need to get up and move!

The Time to Focus on Training Is Now  As fall approaches so does the hustle and bustle of Back-to-school and “mom’s/dad’s” taxi service, the holiday season, cooler temperatures, and a million and one reasons to focus on everything and everyone but yourself. Not one thought of the swimsuit season until …

When someone mentions yoga what comes to mind? Long, lean bodies chanting in the direction of the sun while bent in positions otherwise only mastered by acrobats in Cirque du Soleil? I began a regular yoga practice in February of this year. What I’ve learned is that yoga is built on three main structures: breathing, exercise and meditation. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Yuj’ which means to join or unite. So join me as I examine three common misconceptions about this sacred tradition.

The pizza - beloved by many taste buds, yet hated by just as many waistlines. How can something so good be so bad? It just seems unnatural. Thankfully, we have some pretty inventive folks out there in the low carb community who mastered the pizza goodness without all the nasty processed carbs.

Delicata squash. Have you seen these beauties at your local farmers market or food co-op? In my younger years, I remember trying acorn squash smothered in brown sugar and butter and not liking it. That distaste stayed with me into my adulthood; I assumed squash was squash and that it all tasted the same. Then about five years ago, after admiring how beautiful and colorful the winter squash varieties were, I decided to give squash another try. I did some reading on the different varieties of squash and picked up some delicata. If you haven’t given this winter squash variety a try, what are you waiting for?

Flip flops and sundresses feel like distant memories at this point. As we lament over the long lost lazy days of summer, we yearn for the natural beauty that seemed to come along for the ride. Although it tempting, is it necessary to head to the department store to reclaim that sun kissed glow? Sagdrina Jalal shows us that beauty vitality can be achieved during this season without even leaving the comfort of your home!

It’s been a spectacular journey over these past year, testing the concept of nutritional ketosis on myself. What started out as a simple n=1 experiment to learn if a very high-fat, moderate protein, very low-carbohydrate nutritional approach could make a impact on my weight and health once a traditional Atkins or Paleo-style diet wasn’t working for me anymore, has now become much more than that.