The Skinny on Diet Soda

Imagine a hot summer day and an ice cold soda… I bet you can almost feel the intense explosion you experience as the fizzy liquid hits your tongue stimulating your mouth and offering instant refreshment, energy and gratification. Millions of Americans would agree that there aren’t many things better, and are hooked on the effects that diet soda provides. These drinks are tasty, inexpensive and available everywhere, so what’s the problem?  Well, the ugly truth is that although diet sodas are typically sugar and calorie free, they are by no means free from health risks including:

• potential cancer risks
• negative effects on the liver, kidneys, and other organs
• weight gain
• stimulating cravings
• gastrointestinal problems
• developmental problems in children and fetuses
• headaches
• and too many more issues to list

Despite the fact that the ingredients in diet sodas have been linked to multiple health issues, as Americans we just cannot stay away. These drinks are heavily loaded with caffeine, and because they are sugar free and have little to no calories they are marketed towards health-conscious people, diabetics, athletes, and other people who want to lose weight, improve physical fitness, or reduce their sugar intake, and we are substituting drinking water for these drinks.

(It has been reported that as many as 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated, mostly due to the fact that they are not drinking enough water daily.)

How About a Healthy Alternative?
At M’lis we spend a lot of time focusing on the importance of drinking ½ your body’s weight in ounces of water daily, but let’s punch it up a notch. When trying to kick the diet soda habit, try something with a cool fresh flavor and much better for you. Plan ahead by adding a few pieces of fruit to a pitcher of ice water; lemon, lime, watermelon, raspberry, strawberry, kiwi, cucumber – the possibilities are virtually unlimited. Allow the pitcher to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to get the maximum taste from the fruit.

Healthy Fast-Food: Fact or Fiction?

As people begin to gravitate towards a healthier lifestyle, the desire for things that are healthy, natural, whole, and nourishing are gaining popularity. The fast-food industry has stepped up and now offers quick, easy meals for the health conscious consumer.

For example: McDonald’s Fruit and Maple Oatmeal.

How can something as simple fruit and maple oatmeal not be healthy? There is nothing about the name that would lead you to believe you were putting anything harmful into your body. These are all wholesome food choices that can stand alone to offer nourishment and necessary nutrients, right?


Take a look at the list of ingredients:

Whole grain rolled oats,brown sugar,

food starch-modified, natural flavor (plant source),

barley malt extract, caramel color,

apples,calcium ascorbate (a blend of calcium and vitamin C to maintain color),

dried sweetened cranberries (sugar, cranberries),

California raisins, golden raisins,

sunflower oil, sulfur dioxide (preservative),

milk, cream, sodium phosphate,

datem, stearoyl lactylate,

sodium citrate, carrageenan.

Additional ingredients, preservatives, artificial color and flavors are added which quickly deteriorate the nutritional value of the main, wholesome ingredients.

Fast-food companies are only masking what always has been, and will continue to be, low quality, nutrient deficient food. In order for these ingredients to be served quickly and cost as little as possible, quality must be sacrificed.

It’s unfortunate that so many people have taken to the promise of better health by purchasing these “healthier” menu options and are failing to recognize that these new food options still fall short when it comes to actually giving our body what it really needs.

Real foods, the kind that nourish, prevent disease, and energize, are simply not available at the typical drive-thru. These kinds of foods are prepared in our own kitchens.

Real Food Challenge

We invite you to take the Real Food Challenge begining October 1, 2011

The Real Food Challenge was created to educate and motivate you to take control of your health, your diet and to realize what you eat, does matter.

What is real food? It’s simple! Real food is what your ancestors ate. It’s natural, whole, fresh, healthy, and nourishing. Real food does not have added colors, flavors, chemicals or preservatives. Real food has not been processed or refined. Real food is what gives you energy, a healthy vibrant glow and prevents disease, obesity and a myriad of health problems. Real food is what our bodies were designed to use as fuel to sustain a long, happy and full life.


Watch this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZegHmOupZo


Commit today to take the Real Food Challenge. Eat real food for 28 days. It’s simple. Do it.

Sign up here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=224160507642850

M’lis Approach To Treating Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia can often be a painful and debilitating syndrome, with symptoms that may vary from hour to hour and day to day.

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia may include:

• Pain
• Fatigue
• Sleep Disorders
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Neurological Symptoms
• Chronic Headaches
• Tempromandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome (TMJ)
• Memory and Concentration Difficulties
• Interstitial Cystitis (IC)
• Joint Pain
• Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
• Parasites

M’lis Approach To Treating Fibromyalgia

The M’lis Fibromyalgia Program was developed over 30 years ago and due to the amazing results the basic program has not changed. M’lis has added to the program now that more is known, and supplemental products have been developed to make the program more efficient and complete. Dr. Linda Nelson (founder of the M’lis Company), suggests that following the below steps will completely eliminate the symptoms of fibromyalgia in as little as *6 months.

• Detoxification
• 100% Nutrition
• Implementing Friendly Bacteria (such as M’lis PROBIOTIC)
• Enzymes
• Water
• Fitness and Exercise
• Juicing

For more information on the M’lis Fibromyalgia Program visit www.mlis.com or contact a M’lis reseller near you.

*Steps and program must be followed in their entirety for symptoms to be eliminated in 6 months

Fibromyalgia: Cause and Progression

Though researchers do not agree on the cause of fibromyalgia, there is a viable theory that is supported by research as well as by the personal experiences of Linda T. Nelson, ND, PhD, M’lis Company founder, as well as many M’lis clients. This belief is that fibromyalgia is not caused by one factor, but by a lifetime of symptom suppression and disease progression.

We believe that the progression of fibromyalgia begins with the chicken pox virus (HHV6) very early in life. The virus becomes dormant in the body, waiting until a depletion of the immune system to reactivate into the next stage. Over the course of many years, a person may experience cold sores or herpes, shingles, mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr, or chronic fatigue. These are the different levels of disease progression, and some or all may be experienced before fibromyalgia develops. If these viruses are not eradicated completely from the body at the time that they manifest, (as is usually the case when chemical drugs that ‘stuff’ symptoms rather than cleansing them from the body are taken as a solution), they are stored in the body until a later time.

When the immune system is compromised through illness, stress, injury, or unhealthy lifestyle choices, the progression of disease finally leads to fibromyalgia. At this point, the symptoms have become debilitating and affect every facet of a person’s life. The only way to put an end to fibromyalgia and the symptoms that accompany it is to assist the body to regain control over the virus that has been in the body for years. This can be accomplished through dedicated lifestyle change that allows the body to rebuild and heal by its own power.

WHAT IS FIBROMYALGIA?

Fibromyalgia is a mysterious debilitating condition characterized by chronic pain in the muscles and surrounding structures. The word fibromyalgia is derived from the Latin words; “fibro”, meaning fibrous tissue such as ligaments, tendons, or fascia; “my”, meaning muscle tissue, and “algia”, meaning pain. The pain emanating from tendons, ligaments and muscle tissue is unusually tender to palpation (pressing with the fingers). Two major complaints of people suffering from fibromyalgia are pain and fatigue. Other symptoms that may accompany this condition include: sleep problems or insomnia, depression, poor memory and concentration, dizziness, headache, tingling of the extremities, irritable bowel syndrome, irritable bladder (urgency and frequency of urination), cold intolerance, and allergic reactions to drugs, chemicals and environmental toxins. You might wonder, “What is left?” The truth is, there isn’t much, because fibromyalgia affects almost every part of the human body.

Fibromyalgia pain is most commonly felt in the lower back, neck, shoulders, the back of the head, upper chest, and thighs, although any area or areas of the body may also be involved. The pain is usually described as throbbing, burning, shooting or stabbing. It may become so severe that a person feels unable to function or cope. Endurance and stamina are very poor, and the sufferer often feels exhausted and unable to concentrate. Pain is often greater in the morning than at other times of day, and depression frequently accompanies the symptoms.

It is estimated that between 7 and 10 million people in the United States alone suffer from fibromyalgia. The condition affects mostly women between the ages of 25 and 50, although men and women of other ages, and even some children, are also affected.

Fibromyalgia is known as a syndrome rather than a disease. A syndrome refers to a fairly consistent pattern of symptoms observed in people with a medical disorder. Fibromyalgia symptoms fluctuate from hour to hour and day to day. This differs from the term disease, which implies that all people with a given disorder have exactly the same problem resulting from the same underlying cause.

Fibromyalgia is frequently misdiagnosed and under recognized, which is why fibromyalgia is often called “The Invisible Disease”. Fibromyalgia sufferers don’t look sick, and as a result, they are often victimized in clinical diagnosis and from family and friends. Many skeptics have debated the existence of fibromyalgia, saying it seems to be rooted more in physiological issues than physical, biological causes. Their reasoning is that there is no clear origin, or effective treatment for patients. This leaves them with self-doubt, guilt and a loss of self-esteem. Many sufferers come into spas and wellness centers having been diagnosed with hypochondria, Alzheimer’s, and psychological problems. These labels invite despair, as the person then feels misunderstood and doubted.

Your Immune System Needs Balance

Scratchy throat, aching muscles, runny nose, fever…  Cold and flu season is right around the corner and most of us will end up making several visits to the cold/flu aisle of the grocery store this year.  Thankfully we can avoid calling in sick to work, missing out on important functions and events and enjoy all the good things winter has to offer.

The most important steps we can take to staying well is to live a preventative lifestyle and if we do find ourselves unwell, we take the proper steps to prevent future immune related problems rising again. Supplementing your diet with these important immune boosting supplements daily will help balance your immune system and provide your body with the proper defense against pathogens.

VITAMIN D – Vitamin D. is quite possibly the most important nutrient for optimal immune function.  Having adequate amounts of Vitamin D in the body will activate immune responses to prevent and/or treat inflammation and autoimmunity.  This vitamin is crucial in activating our immune defenses and without sufficient intake of the vitamin our bodies will not be able to react to and fight off serious infections in the body.

M’lis VITAL – This formula contains Antioxidants with Astaxantin which have the most potent “anti-oxidants” in all of nature and have been proven to work longer and better than other common anti-oxidants in building up the immune system.

A Positive Attitude Leads to Better Health

Achieving and maintaining good health is an ongoing process. We do several things to protect our health, such as eating right, exercising, practicing good hygiene and avoiding people who have contagious illnesses, such as the flu or colds. After taking all those precautions, many people still jeopardize their health simply by having a negative attitude.

There’s a direct correlation between a positive attitude and better health.

According to research from the Mayo Clinic, positive thinking can increase your life span, decrease depression, reduce levels of distress, provide greater resistance to the common cold, offer better psychological and physical well-being, reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and enable you to cope better during hardships and times of stress.

Additional research tells us that the mind and immune system are inexorably connected and do not exist independently. For example, if you expect good health, your chances of enjoying good health are increased by that attitude.

JohnsHopkinsUniversityresearchers interviewed more than 5,000 people over the age of 65, and regardless of risk factors, those who saw themselves as having poor health, roughly doubled their risk of death within five years. Hard to believe, but pessimism proves to be more deadly than congestive heart failure or smoking 50 or more packs of cigarettes every year.

The body’s healing system responds favorably to positive attitudes, thoughts, moods, and emotions such as, hope, love, joy, and laughter.

Laughter as medicine?

Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.

Good Immunity Requires A Healthy Lymphatic System

Most of us became familiar with the lymphatic system during a time when we became ill and we made a visit to the doctor’s office. The doctor performed a few standard tests that gave clues as to what may be going on internally. These procedures almost always include a simple touch to the neck feeling for swollen lymph nodes. If swelling was found, this indicated there was indeed some type of infection and the lymphatic system was doing its job.

What does the lymphatic system have to do with immunity?

The lymphatic system consists of glands, such as the tonsils, the spleen and the small glands in the armpits, at various parts of the body linked by large lymph channels. The lymph gland’s purpose is to filter out and destroy toxins, bacteria, viruses, germs, to produce antibodies and lymphatic cells for the lymph system. This system is the biggest tool your body has to defend itself against illness and disease.

A healthy functioning lymphatic system is required for optimal immune response.

Millions of Americans struggle with a sluggish, overworked lymphatic system. Properly flowing lymph is essential for a speedy and effective immune response. Sluggish or stagnant lymph can mean trouble.

When the lymph system becomes sluggish a toxic environment is created which will influence all the cells of the body. Symptoms of lymphatic congestion can include:

• Stiffness and pressure in the shoulder area
• Chronic bowel problems: constipation
• Fibromyalgia
• Skin disorders
• Cellulite accumulations
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Hormonal and emotional imbalances
• Recurrent headaches
• Recurrent tonsillitis, colds
• Chronic sinusitis, allergies

Regardless of the state of your lymphatic system, it is vital to improve or maintain optimal function, so that your immune system can work better to fight illness.

Ways to improve lymphatic flow

The lymphatic system is unique because is depends largely on muscular contractions to pump fluid through its vessels.  The lymphatic system does not have a pump, like the heart, to move fluid. So what is the best way to keep lymph flowing? Movement.

A sedentary lifestyle in the number one enemy of the lymphatic system. Exercise can move your lymph up to 5 times faster then typical resting lymph flow. Any exercise can begin to improve lymph flow, even simple activities such as walking or stretching can prevent a stagnant lymph system.

Massage- A lymph massage encourages a release of toxic build up in the body and is ideal for general immune stimulation. Typically a lymph massage will focus on the upper body, including the face, neck, and arms. The strokes of the massage are generally in the direction of lymphatic flow to encourage drainage.

Alternating between a hot and cold bath or shower is a simple a effective way to promote good lymphatic flow. The heat expands blood vessels, filling them with blood, and the cold constricts the blood vessels, forcing the blood to move on to other parts of the body. This is helpful for improving immune function as well as promoting detoxification.

M’lis Body Contour Wraps help the lymphatic system do its job by stimulating the body’s own natural lymph elimination function and increase circulation which improves overall health. In addition to improving general health, Contour Wraps also help to diminish cellulite and improve the appearance of the skin.

ASPIRE Apricot Grape Seed Exfoliator

The M’lis Company proudly introduces Aspire Apricot Grape Seed Exfoliator, a perfect blend of vitamins, anti-oxidants, UV protectors, hydrators, and moisturizers to provide a superior scrub.

Grape seed oil is one of the most powerful antioxidants used in skin care.  It is 50% more powerful than Vitamin C and Vitamin E.  Grape seed oil also contains natural alpha-hydroxy acid, which gently exfoliates the skin to prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Aspire Apricot Grape Seed Exfoliator combines grape seed oil with natural peeling apricot seed powder to provide gentle exfoliation, an important factor in rebuilding healthy beautiful skin.



Our Aspire skin care line is Paraben free, Urea free, Sulfate free, artificial colorant free and perfume free.   No toxic ingredients were used in producing this product.

ASPIRE Green Tea Cleanser

The M’lis Company proudly introduces Aspire Green Tea Cleanser, a superior cleanser that offers powerful protection for the skin.

Green Tea is known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-carcinogenic properties, making it effective in prevention and treatment of abnormal skin conditions, such as acne, psoriasis, eczema, and other skin disorders.  Green tea can also protect the skin from environmental factors and free radicals that lead to aging of the skin.

We have combined the anti-inflammatory power of green tea with gentle emollients, vitamins, hydrators, antibacterials and UV protectors to create a cleanser suitable for all skin types.
 Aspire Green Tea Cleanser should be used daily to protect, clean, and soothe the skin.
Our Aspire skin care line is Paraben free, Urea free, Sulfate free, artificial colorant free and perfume free.   No toxic ingredients were used in producing this product.

Nutrition On-The-Go

For many people eating on the go has become the norm, so it’s no surprise food companies have catered to the demand for grab-and-go foods. Unfortunately, those convenient, quick, easy snack and meals are generally poor quality and lack the essential nutrients that provide us the energy we need to go about our busy schedules.

Choosing to eat a healthy, well balanced diet takes planning, preparation and discipline. However, we’ve all been in that situation when life’s demands interfere and we find ourselves hungry, away from our kitchen and the closest food insight is far from being healthy.

What can you do?

A little planning goes a long way. Being prepared with something you can eat quickly to keep your blood sugar from plummeting and your cravings at bay is key to avoiding the ever-present temptation of vending machines and fast food. Keep healthy snacks readily available such as fruit, vegetables, or nuts along with plenty of water to drink.

Another option for on the go nutrition is the M’lis Instant Meal. This shake mixes instantly with cold water and/or milk and can be used as a perfectly balance meal replacement when you want to supplement your healthy diet or don’t have time to create the ideal snack or meal.

With only 177 calories per serving, Instant Meal does not contain sugar, is lactose free, gluten free, hormone free, and contains digestive enzymes, healthy probiotics, omega 3 fatty acids and a full range of essential vitamins and minerals. It is easy to mix, tastes amazing and offers the perfect “on-the-go” solution.

Real Food… Savor the Simplicity!

The truth is real food is satisfying, enjoyable and actually tastes good. Real food is not limited to endless salads and vegetable platters.  It’s easy to create savory real food meals with a little imagination, preparation and help from recipes.mlis.com.   Visit our recipes blog and click “Real Food Challenge” for a list of delicious recipes you and your family will love.