RAW VEGAN COCONUT SOUR CREAM

Easy and super delicious!!! Great on some raw nachos with guacamole, salsa, and nut meat.

You can watch the video HERE.

Coconut is great not only for your waistline, but for your skin and hair as well. This is a great way to replace something harmful (sour cream, which induces inflammation in the body) with something healthful! Enjoy :)

ASPARTAME LINKED TO CANCER

If you or anyone you know are drinking artificial sweeteners in an attempt to lose weight, you MUST READ THIS ARTICLE!

Lifelong studies in animals have confirmed what a myriad of previous studies concluded: that intake of aspartame has carcinogenic effects. In other words, all of those sugar free sodas you have been downing in order to be "healthier" appear to be doing you more harm than good.

Several cancers, including brain cancer, saw statistically significant increases in animals fed aspartame over their lifetime versus a control group, and the test mice were given significantly LESS aspartame than the current recommended daily allowance for humans! Original toxicology tests from the 1960's also showed liver, thyroid, and brain damage in addition to the increased risk of cancer. In other words: aspartame should NOT be consumed by humans.

Studies dating back to 1975 have confirmed the harmful effects of aspartame, but the FDA has yet to ban it from our foods. Why? Because companies that profit from the use of aspartame, from Equal to Crystal Light, will likely lose millions of dollars if it is eliminated.

The government is supposed to be the buffer between upstanding citizens and the ills of society, but in many fields, particularly when it comes to food and toxin regulation in America, our government falls short.

The best way to protect yourself and your family? Don't eat food created in a lab (aspartame, sucralose, etc.), always read labels, and STAY INFORMED! Always ask questions, and as far as food is concerned: the less processed, the better. If you need a low glycemic sweetener, use agave nectar. If you want calorie free, try stevia (but note: stevia has yet to be fully tested, so your best bet is still agave nectar).

YOGA FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Here's a quick yoga routine from Tara Stiles, aimed at helping you burn those holiday calories and tone your hips, buns, and abs. Can be done almost anywhere and is easy to follow!

DIET TIPS AND TRICKS

Here's a video from a segment on The Today Show. It has some great recommendations for healthier swaps and calorie conservation while eating out. I will definitely be implementing the burrito suggestion into my taco takeout!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

YOUNGER WITH YOGA

... or with any exercise!

THIS STUDY from Germany was just released showing the anti-aging benefits of life-long exercise.

The study looked at athletes over their lifetimes, examining their cellular function on a genetic level. Ultimately, the DNA in cells of people who exercised regularly during their lifetime functioned as if they were younger, helping to negate normal DNA degradation caused by age.

Exercise: great for your waist, mood, brain, skin, and EVERYTHING ELSE!

Yet another reason to lace up those running shoes or roll out those yoga mats in 2010!

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Your inspiration for the first week of 2010:

There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth... not going all the way and not starting. -Buddha

Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. -Oscar Wilde

Live out of your imagination, not your history. -Stephen Covey

Every moment is an experience. -Jake Roberts

If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want 100 years of prosperity, educate people. -Chinese Proverb

As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives. -Henry David Thoreau

It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more "manhood" to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind. -Alex Karras