During the summer, I take advantage of nature and use that sand at the beach to exfoliate. I rub it on my body to remove the dead skin, and then rinse it off with the ocean water. The combination of the two leaves my skin soft and clear. That’s about as natural as you can get with skin care.  For the other 9 months of the year, I need something else to exfoliate at home. 
A good friend of mine from ASU, Colt Christian, started his own company, Karmasutra Organics, where he sells a Karmasutra Organic cosmetics(and the best Cold Pressed Juices). During college, both of us loved working out and were starting to get into the health and wellness scene so it’s awesome to see him develop his passion into a business. 
The Karmasutra team sent me a sample of their body scrub which I tried out last weekend at the beach with my bestie Zoe, and we were extremely impressed. First of all, it smells like coffee…what’s better than smothering your body in the most delicious smell that you wake up craving every morning? Second, it’s “all natural” and when they say that, they actually mean it. So many products claim to be all natural but then when you look at the ingredients you don’t recognize half of them or they contain toxic chemicals (sulfates, synthetic fragrance, silicones, glycols, formaldehyde, etc.).  KarmaSutra is vegan, cruelty-free, not tested on animals, and made with all organic ingredients (that you actually recognize): organic ground coffee, virgin organic cold pressed coconut oil, raw coconut sugar, cold pressed castor oil, essential oils. It’s important to be conscious of the ingredients in your skincare products because the skin is the largest organ on your body and anything you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream. 
The benefits of exfoliating include stimulating blood flow and increasing cell regeneration, detoxing and breaking up oils to nourish, replenish and hydrate the skin. If you’re looking for a new all natural scrub, and are a coffee lover, then head to Karmasutra and give this product a try! Use code JACNLEX20 at checkout for 20% off! 

http://www.jacnlex.com/feelsgood/all-natural-body-scrub-that-smells-like-heavenly-coffee/

1. DIET: We always say diet is number one, and we say it for a reason. Try meal prepping for the week, allowing yourself a "Cheat Meal" if you complete the week properly. YUM!

2. Drink more H2O: Hydration is necessary to be healthy and allow your body to perform properly.

3. Fruits & Veggies: This may seem obviously, but fruits and veggies are the cornerstone to living a healthy lifestyle. Natures fruits and veggies can also be obsorbed in the purest form via COLD PRESSED JUICES. YUM!

4. Sleep: The debate is always about how much sleep one gets at night to be properly rested and recovered. Each person is different, what really matters is the amount of time spent sleeping well versus restless sleep. Try to mix it up, add a meditation session to the mix prior to bed!

5. Work: When at work, try to stay on your feet and moving constantly. Try stretching, going for a walk, meditation, or even some body squats if you're up for it!

6. Posture: Keeping your back and neck straight is a very under discussed topic. Not considering long term problems, short term is can casue change in energy, mood, and even appetite. 

7. Entertainment: This may be obvious, but put down the remote and pick up a dog leash. If you don't have a dog, put on your favorite audibook and hit the neighborhood for a nice walk or jog. 

8. Breakfast: Usually crowned as the most important meal of the day, whether that remains true or not it must be healthy. It is the start to your day and eating trends for the rest of the day! Healthy breakfasts are key components in success in business and in life.

Can you recite the national anthem? What about The Mcdonalds Big Mac song? You know the one..."Two all beef patties, special sauce lettuce cheese on a seasame seed bun!" 

This seemes to be America's real anthem, but it shouldn't be. If you listened to your body like you should, you would be singing a different tune. You probably do not care to look at whats in your food right noe, or read labels. Because, quite frankly that is just more hard work. Catch the sarcasim? Good, thats the point. If you cared about your body, you would not "fuel" it with such terrible "food". Think about the best cars in the world and how they perform when treated properly and fuel properly. Compare that to the same vehicles with the wrong type of gas or oil in the car, maybe you shorted it some fuel (nutrients). Something that is not pure and not meant for your body will cause internal trauma, whether it be a car and a human body. This is the type of trauma you do not see until one day it smacks you in the mouth and you end up in a hospital bed. Maybe you are already a frequent visitor to the doctors office... Well, we have got good news for you!

The good news for everyone is, it is not too late. No matter what your problem may be, there are many solutions in nature for almost all conditions in the modern day. Maybe it is not as dramatic as going fully plant based, maybe you need to rid your diet of dairy, or maybe even something as simple as more fiber. Maybe more turmeric for inflammation, maybe you need low glycemic food because you are a diebetic. My point is that everyone is different, which also means everyone can have different results. Do not just give up the fight, choose to eat healthy. You only get on body, act like you give a damn.

Protein, protein, and more protein! That is how you gain muscle and burn fat, right? Well, that statement is correct technically...But there is so much more to it! The obsession over protein has been looked at as a positive health epidemic in the last couple of decades, at least thats what we were taught to believe. Protein is vital, and absolutely a key part of a clean diet...But it is not everything. Let's get into to the details, this has been a pressing issue many people are unsure about. Education is key, let us guide you through it.

When the protein obsession caught fire, people got healthier, lived longer, and the rate of sickness due to bad diet went down dramatically! Well, not exactly... Once the meat and dairy industry got ahold of the news, their marketing began to flood the markets. This caused a chain reaction, leading us to believe it was the most important part of our diet(except for sugar, considering the FDA has clarified it under at least 56 different names. No Joke.). Meat proteins are not exactly what the doctor should have ordered, considered they do not convert well with the human body...Have you ever looked at the teeth of a lion? The King of the jungle, natural predator, and born meat eater. Notice the animals internal organs and especially the digestive system. The two are completely different in size and shape, allowing them to digest meat easier. Then there is the arguement of not being able to get enough protein from plants...Seriously people? Have you ever seen what a gorilla eats? 

When eating for health, you need more than just protein. There is both micro and macro nutrients in which the body needs to properly fuction and its highest level. Granted, we do believe protein is important...there is more to a diet than protein. Listed below are non dairy, meat free protein sources for you guys to utilize into your diet plan! Don't forget, if you need help with any meal planning or fitness routines contact our team and we can get you started today!! Hope you enjoyed this educational blog, follow us on social media to stay up to date on our blog and our always informative social media channels.


Just to name a few...
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- Lentils
- Quiona
- Beyond Meat Products
- Hummus
- Spirulina
- Spinach
- Sunflower Seeds
- Pumkin Seeds
- Almonds
- Hemp Seeds
- Cashews
- Raw Vegan Protein Powders
- Steel Oats


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Article of reference:
http://www.eatthis.com/what-happens-when-you-eat-too-much-protein

Additional Video Provided to inform only, not offend. Happy Humpday from team Body Karma!

In this day and age, food is high in calories but low in nutrients, and it's shockingly common for people to have major deficiencies in vitamins and minerals that are essential to our well-being. Combine that with a serious lack of education concerning food and we’re starting to see a common problem of people becoming very sick without really understanding why.
 
One of the most common issues we see is a lack of calcium within people, even though calcium is a fairly easy mineral to obtain. Why is this?
 
The dairy industry wants us to believe that dairy products build strong bones and provide a plethora of calcium for our diets. We’re told that “3 A Day of Dairy” will keep our bones strong and nourished. Yet, contradictory to this, evidence from around the world shows that in countries where dairy intake is highest, osteoporosis is most prevalent. In places where dairy is rare, bones remain strong into old age. This is because dairy doesn’t contain calcium that can be absorbed by our bodies. In fact, evidence shows that dairy is actually leaching the calcium from our bones, making them more weak and susceptible to injury. This is just one more reason to step away from the milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream.
 
The good news is that calcium rich foods can easily be found and it’s fairly simple to get around 1000 milligrams of calcium every day, which is the amount recommended by the World Health Organization. Foods such as collards, kale, broccoli, chickpeas, raisins, navy beans, mustard greens, white beans, tofu, spinach, soybeans, dried figs, bok choy, almonds, oranges, seaweed, and sesame seeds are some of the highest calcium contenders as well as being vegan and shown to have numerous other health benefits.
 
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are very common with the average diet. Being mindful of getting a variety of organic fruits and vegetables is the easiest way to ensure that you are reaching your optimal health! 

You may be surprised to learn that doctors and other health professionals learn very little about nutrition throughout the course of their education. Only about 10% of their education is about nutrition, a shockingly small amount. The health industry nowadays could more realistically be called sick care instead of health care, because we don’t teach people how to be healthy at all- only to help them once they are already sick. Modern day medicine centers on treating disease with prescription medicine and it’s a booming business, especially once people rely on their medications every single day.
 
However, starting in July, the Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME will be offering a two-year residency program focused on plant-based dietary medicine to aspiring doctors. The goal is to teach people to prevent disease through nutritious and healthy food as opposed to fighting disease with prescription drugs. Bernard Medical Center’s James Loomis noted, “I think we are starting to see a fairly significant grassroots movement where people are realizing there is another path than taking all these medicines.”
 
It will be a tough battle to get more medical institutions and professionals to start working towards preventing disease, as they make an incredible amount of money by selling people prescription drugs for their various diseases, but we are finally heading in the right direction. The program at Maine Medical Center advocates shifting to a vegan diet as a form of preventative medicine. Food is finally being recognized as a highly important component in health. Dr. Christina Holt of Maine Medical Center says, “The integrative component of this program is really looking at expanding the thinking around nutrition.”
 
Giving people the right tools to take control of their own health is the way of the future. Share this post to bring attention to positive health education!
 
http://www.pressherald.com/2016/04/13/vegetarian-kitchen-maine-med-plants-seeds-for-doctors-to-focus-on-health-impact-of-food/
 

​Lawsuit: Old Spice Users Left With Burns, Rashes
 
It’s not the first time that Old Spice has been hit with a lawsuit over their products leaving chemicals burns and rashes on their customers. Earlier this month, another lawsuit was filed against the deodorant company from users having bad reactions. The lawsuit is seeking more that $5 million in damages.
 
The original suit came from Rodney Colley, who experienced rashes after only a few uses in his armpits. The court’s papers include fairly graphic photos of this painful reaction. Colley is asking others who have had similar reactions to join the lawsuit.
 
The issue is that the defendant is concealing the problems arising from their products rather than trying to fix anything. Court papers mention that “the problem is rampant” and that Old Spice will only continue to sell the product and reap “windfall profits”. In a very technologically advanced world, the lawsuit even includes pictures that were posted on the internet of others’ who had negative reactions.
 
A representative from the company noted that a “number of men may experience irritation due to alcohol sensitivity”, which is a common ingredient in many deodorant products, proving once again that you should always read the ingredients before buying the product. 

 Do you ever read the label of any packaged food and realize you either don’t know what half the ingredients are or that you can’t even pronounce them for that matter? Most ingredients found in processed foods are used in order to conveniently preserve foods from expiring. Other substances help improve color, smell, and texture.
 
Especially as a vegetarian or vegan, there are many ingredients to stay away from. L-Cysteine is used in foods to preserve and improve the texture of dough. What if I told you that L-Cysteine is made from hog hair, hog hooves, human hair, or duck feathers? Pillsbury Doughboy is not as cute and innocent as he comes off to be, that’s for sure. Confectioner’s glaze is made of 35 percent shellac. Shellac is also found in hairspray, polish, and aluminum foil. Confectioner’s glaze is a common coat on candy. What a sweet treat! Isinglass is also commonly used to clarify wine and beer. This product is made from fish bladders. Do I have to keep going? Moral of the story is that it is extremely important to understand what you are putting in your body. It is crucial to be mindful and aware of every ingredient. It is so easy to pick up a box of cereal or pre-made mac and cheese without even thinking. It’s convenient and effortless. As delicious as duck feathers, shellac, and fish bladders might be, there is no need to consume these products. The bottom line is, stay away from processed foods.

​By Tori Wadey
 
Source: http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=7529&catId=5
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