Sexy Forever: How to Fight Fat After Forty by Suzanne Somers Page B

hormones, or antibiotics. Protein is extremely important and is involved in every life function from your bone marrow to your skin. Proteins are found in both animal and vegetable sources. Animal-source protein is complete protein because almost all animal proteins contain all eight essential amino acids in optimal proportions. This ratio of amino acids is very valuable to your body.
    Studies prove that too little protein in your body results in health problems that range in severity from a suppressed immune system and physical weakness to stunted growth and mental retardation. It takes a diet of at least 30 percent protein to maximize the biochemicals (eicosanoids) in your system that enhance your immune system, decrease inflammation and pain, increase oxygen flow, improve endurance, and more.
    Fish is a great source of protein. Chicken and beef are a great source of protein but chicken should be organic and beef grass-fed whenever possible; conventionally raised poultry may suffer from the same problems of poor-quality feed and overcrowding that conventionally raised cattle and pigs do. Russia doesn’t want our chicken, and they have a food shortage. That should tell you something!
    Russia, along with several other countries, has banned poultry from the United States because of the chlorine (a known carcinogen) used in the processing.
    Besides, organic chickens taste so much better. If you cannot afford organic, look for natural poultry and meats raised without antibiotics orhormones. These are always better choices and will contribute to your daily health and nutritional requirements.
DETOX FIRST, LOSE WEIGHT AFTER
    Losing weight without getting rid of the toxins ensures that you
will
gain back all the fat and more. Think about it—just getting rid of the fat doesn’t get rid of the toxins, which are reabsorbed into your body. This creates a vicious cycle. Losing weight without learning to eliminate chemicals is like a merry-go-round. And it’s why dieting doesn’t work. Plus the toxic load makes it more and more difficult for people from age forty on to lose weight.
    Now do you understand why losing weight has been a frustrating battle for you? Are you ready to get off that not-so-merry-go-round?
    Here we go!

PART II
Goodbye Fat,
Hello Sexy

Step 1
CLEAN UP YOUR ACT

    The need to tackle toxic burdens before they manifest themselves as disease has never been greater. It is clear that the future of health care will have at its very core an absolute requirement for safe and effective detoxification procedures, hopefully instituted before the individual’s immune system and vital organs have ceased to operate adequately
.
    —DR. LEON CHAITOW
    The goal of
Sexy Forever
is to enhance and improve your overall health, give your body what it craves, and help you remain toxin free and in peak condition for life. In doing this you will be rewarded with a thin, beautiful body. Recapturing health through detoxification is more than possible—it’s within your reach. But what does detox mean?
    Detoxing means avoiding chemicals as best you can:
In your food
In your household cleaning products
In your cosmetics
In shampoos and conditioners
In your bath, shower, or pool
    I was surprised to find out that methods of detoxification have been around for almost four thousand years. One of the earliest medical textbooks ever discovered, the Ebers Papyrus, found in the sands of Egypt, shows that physicians of long ago were already using enemas to help the body cleanse itself and fight off disease. In India, Ayurvedic medicine also utilizes detoxification methods, including colon cleansing, to treat many chronic conditions and to prevent illness. But the colon is just one of many channels of elimination. This book will discuss other ways to decrease the burden of this toxic load.
    One thing is clear, now is the time to
protect yourself
. Let’s start by taking a deeper look at the toxicity we receive from products we put on the largest