About

Welcome to the purple umbrella blog!

This blog is dedicated to discovering new things under an umbrella of topics including the latest research in health, biotech, nutrition, fitness and more. The goal is to break down lengthy complex research into smaller reviews that are easier to understand in an effort to widen the audience. My hope is that more people will become educated with the latest research and be able to apply the conclusions to their own lives.

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." -- Ben Franklin

I am an ambassador of the 131 Method. The 131 Method is not a diet, but an educational program of the study of one (YOU!) designed by experts in integrative medicine and registered dietitians. It's a 12-week program of different phases designed to reset your hunger hormones to boost your metabolism, heal your gut and get rid of inflammation. However, it's not a rigid program and you can decide how you go through it (everyone is different and you need to do what works for you!). A large majority of diseases, aches and pains are caused by inflammation and these factors often contribute to weight loss resistance. I first went through this program in it's infancy when it was in the 'beta testing' phase and was absolutely amazed at how my body and mind changed in as little as one week. It's since evolved and there is support available within the program from the community, experts and registered dietitians. For more information please visit: https://131method.com?afmc=pk

I also have an eBay store and Poshmark closet of gently used clothing, books and other random interesting items that I hope can find a new home. I hope to eventually use parts of the proceeds after operating costs to support various causes of importance. Feel free to browse here: https://www.ebay.com/str/cleverchickshop or here: https://posh.mk/TIRhgNjnqU

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Inflammation: The Leading Cause to Many Diseases

It's becoming more accepted that inflammation is the leading cause of many, if not all, diseases. An increasing number of drugs and therapies are being developed to block the inflammatory processes to treat or prevent many diseases including cancers, infectious diseases and auto-immune disorders. (1) What is inflammation anyways? To summarize the process, the inflammatory response starts with the delivery of blood components, plasma and leukocytes, to the site of an infection or tissue injury. These components are normally restricted to blood vessels but now are able to access the other tissues outside of those vessels at the site of infection or injury. At this point, neutrophils (another blood component) become activated and have a goal of killing the invading agents by releasing toxic contents that are contained within them. The problem here is that neutrophils can't distinguish between the infected/injured tissues and healthy host tissue so damage is done to both. A repai

Cajun Shrimp Pasta Recipe

This recipe is one of my favorites and it can be modified to add more or less spice or swap out the pasta for zoodles! Serves 4-6 ~30 min Ingredients: 1 pound linguine pasta (you can swap the pasta for zoodles - spiralized zucchinis. One zucchini equates to about one serving) 1 pound shrimp 1 pound andouille sausage sliced or similar sausage 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 yellow onion diced 1/2 green bell pepper diced 3 Tbsp cajun seasoning - we usually have Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning on hand 2 cloves garlic minced 4 Tbsp butter red pepper flakes to taste Directions: Boil a large pot of water and cook the linguine al dente. (*side note - have you ever tried throwing a piece of pasta at the cabinets to see if it sticks? Supposedly it's done if it sticks). If you want to use only one pot, drain the pasta and set aside. Otherwise, get another pot and begin cooking the other stuff. If you are using zoodles, cook them in a pan

What's Really in Your Vitamins and Supplements?

Do you take any multivitamins or dietary supplements? If so, you are among the three quarters of Americans who do and the growing number in the rest of the world. The supplement industry is estimated to be worth $40 billion in the US alone. Although so many people are routinely taking these supplements, they are not really regulated. In fact, the last major legislation regulating supplements in the US was nearly 25 years ago with the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). This Act essentially formally defined a dietary supplement, required ingredients to be listed and for a disclaimer to be present that the FDA had not evaluated any claims of the product. Unfortunately, not all supplements and vitamins are as they seem. They could contain less (or more) than what they claim or even include harmful ingredients or contaminants. I recommend checking out Labdoor.com to find out which supplements are actually what they claim. Labdoor tests a bunch of products at a

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