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Posts Tagged ‘Nutrition and Health’

Veggie Nut Burger and Jicama "Fries"

By Laura Weldon

Ever heard the word “locavore?” This was the New American Dictionary word of the year for 2007. A locavore is a person who chooses to eat food that has been grown and produced locally.

Why go to all that trouble?

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We’ve all seen a colony of ants. All those little workers rushing around doing their jobs. It seems so random, but they are each doing something very specific that needs to be done for the good of the whole colony.

That’s what I imagine enzymes to be like. Enzymes are really proteins – hard working proteins. They are catalysts that facilitate and speed up the different reactions in the body. One of the jobs of digestive enzymes is to help break down the large molecules of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and other components of the foods we eat.

If you experience gas, bloating, irregular bowels, burping, or other digestive discomforts after eating, you may be feeling the consequences of not enough digestive enzymes. Having enough enzymes – all the different types – is key to good health. Food is your body’s fuel and incomplete digestion and assimilation of that fuel leads to mal-nourishment at the cellular level. If the cells aren’t healthy the whole body suffers.

Digestive enzymes are naturally produced within your body. We also get enzymes from raw foods. Many children are eating lots of processed food on a daily basis. Processed food, even the healthier versions, are lacking those essential enzymes, which are heat sensitive.

Including raw foods (foods that have not been heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit) is important because the enzymes are still viable.

The average American diet is responsible for the development of chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease, atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, stroke, etc. Why is diet so important for our health? Because the food (and supplements) we consume provide our cells the nutrients to survive and function. That’s why in holistic medicine we focus on the health of the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract, where the food is digested and assimilated into the body.

Throughout the GI tract, from the mouth through the intestines, enzymes are secreted from glands to help digest the fat, carbohydrates and proteins we eat. We also consume enzymes through RAW food. Enzymes are denatured (inactivated) by heat. So the enzymes in cooked food lose their function, which is to increase the rates of chemical reactions within the body.

“Although the body can manufacture enzymes,
the more you use your enzyme potential,
the faster it is going to run out…”
- Dr. Edward Howell (Noted Pioneer in the field of Enzyme Research)

Supporting our body with RAW food, supports our enzyme supply. Raw foods contain all the enzymes necessary for their own digestion. Eating too much processed and cooked food and too little live, raw food can result in enzyme deficiencies.

There is research to support the health benefits of enzymes, for example:
 Bromelain (an enzyme found in fresh pineapple) has been found to have anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties. Anti-inflammatory properties are huge since chronic inflammation has been linked to many diseases including allergies, asthma, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Very Important: Enzymes rely on vitamins and minerals to function properly.

“Enzymes are complex proteins that act as catalysts in almost every biochemical process that takes place in the body. Their activity depends on the presence of adequate vitamins and minerals. Many enzymes incorporate a single molecule of a trace mineral —such as copper, iron or zinc —without which the enzyme cannot function.”
Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD

Source: http://www.nourishmd.com/

photo by Johan Everstijn

by Mary Laredo, Natural News

In 1971, President Nixon declared a war on cancer. In the ensuing decades, tens of billions of dollars have been spent on the cause yet a cure by orthodox means remains elusive. By any standards this campaign has been a failed endeavour; or worse, a shameful fraud. Progress is a myth, and sustaining hope for the development of a safe and effective cancer drug is pointless. It’s up to each individual to empower themselves with knowledge of the myriad ways to eradicate cancer without harming the body. Although it’s easier to prevent cancer than to reverse it once it has taken hold, it is nevertheless reversible with holistic therapies that address imbalances of the body, mind and spirit. This is not an opinion; it is a statement of fact that’s based on this author’s first-hand experience.

A comprehensive approach to healing cancer includes at least the following eight factors:

• 1. Proper nutrition and clean water
• 2. Detoxification
• 3. Immune building
• 4. Oxygen therapy
• 5. Natural chemotherapies
• 6. Lifestyle changes: adequate sleep, sunlight & exercise
• 7. A positive attitude
• 8. Spiritual cleansing

Regardless of the cancer’s aggressiveness, the body will respond to this holistic approach – the speed and degree to which it does so is commensurate with the diligence and extent to which these eight factors are applied. No cancer treatment, conventional or otherwise, comes with an iron-clad guarantee; however, it’s important to consider that orthodox treatments ravage the body and ignore the underlying causes while alternative treatments strengthen the body and address its healing requirements. Reason and logic side with alternative therapies.

These guidelines are merely an overview of what a comprehensive holistic protocol would include. The term “cancer survivor” refers to those who have been diagnosed with the disease and are still alive – whether they are in remission or not. The cancer survivor should adopt as many of these strategies as is feasible, slowly incorporating them into one’s lifestyle and working with a naturopath if necessary. A holistic healer can be located through the help of a reputable chiropractor, acupuncturist or other practitioner of the healing arts. A health food store may also provide contacts.

It’s useful to determine whether the body’s chronic stressors include specific nutritional deficiencies, absorption problems and/or the burden of toxic heavy metals. This insight is possible through analysis of hair, urine or blood, and will help determine which supplements and therapies will enhance treatment. Without addressing these conditions, optimum healing may be delayed or prevented.

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Here’s a tasty Kale Salad Recipe,– the cheese is optional.

By Timothy J. LaSalle

For a technology that has sucked up billions of research dollars and prolonged agriculture’s dependence on chemical inputs, GMOs (genetically modified organisms) have yet to justify their role in a world desperate for more sustainable ways to produce healthier food for more people. In a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a summary of on-farm production levels of genetically modified crops showed less than marginal gains in actual yield. In fact, the review concluded that “no currently available transgenic varieties enhance the intrinsic yield of any crops.”

Let’s Put GMO Food on the Shelf

Such findings beg the question: Who needs GMO food anyway? If GMOs are developed to increase yields, then they have failed. If they are marketed to reduce costs for farmers, and the price of GMO corn seed is now three times greater than it was just a few years ago, they have failed yet again. If these seeds are engineered to use less herbicides when, according to recent indications, many weeds are becoming Roundup-resistant, requiring a cocktail of herbicide applications in certain farming areas while crop land is just being abandoned in others, they have most certainly failed!

GMO defenders cite net yield increases per acre due to weed and pest management traits, apparently comparing GMO-chemical regimes with non-GMO-chemical regimes in traditional intensive corn-soy production systems. They don’t compare the genetically modified pest-management results with non-chemical systems where organic corn tolerates higher weed populations without yield loss, and where insect damage becomes insignificant in most years once basic crop rotations are established and soil health improves. It seems GMO defenders have failed to take the varying approaches of these two systems into account, which leaves us with only a chapter of the whole story.

GMO Food Just Doesn’t Make Sense

Despite the failures of GMOs, it is clear that their developers have not failed at making huge profits in a system where farmers are forced to market on volume, and have no market rewards for nutritional quality or penalties for ecological impact.

So what have consumers gained? Perhaps the answer is unclear. But I do know why we in the organic movement are so dead against GMO food. The answer is pretty simple: Genetically engineered seeds just don’t make sense. How can a seed variety that is costly to patent (and legally can’t be saved for replanting) help poor farmers around the world? How can a seed that needs increased levels of toxins to control weeds be the safest option, ecologically or from a human standpoint? How can a seed that is artificially injected with foreign proteins be harmless to eat?

GMO Food and Human Health: The Hidden Consequences

Whether genetically modified foods are safe for human consumption will remain a controversial issue. Yet some scientists who have been quieted or marginalized have found serious concerns about the safety of GMOs in laboratory animal studies. In many investigations involving GMO-fed animals, there have been cases of underdeveloped organs, reproductive problems, accelerated aging and even death.

As the four As (allergies, asthma, autism, and ADD) rapidly increase in U.S. health statistics, we must consider that GMOs could certainly be one of the causes. As a matter of fact, in a recent position paper by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, physicians across the country called for a moratorium on GMO foods because “there is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects.”

In the last few decades most of these health concerns have more than doubled, and, at times, tripled. The human body has not changed, but our diet undoubtedly has, and as of the 1990s, GMOs have become increasingly prevalent in our food supply. In her new book, The Unhealthy Truth, Robyn O’Brien outlines the logical connection between the astronomical increase in allergic response among our American population and our unbridled consumption of these altered foods. She states that almost 75 percent of our processed foods now contain neurotoxins, novel proteins, and allergens.

In Search of Safe Food

Meanwhile, we continue to consume these foods every day. Thanks to legislation and regulations shaped by the expansive lobbying efforts of GMO giants like Monsanto, we are not allowed to know which foods contain

modified genes. Many European, Asian, and African countries have banned GMOs to protect their farming systems and food supplies, yet we are seemingly complacent that these controversial seeds have entered our food supply. In reality, about 92 percent of all U.S. soybean acreage is planted with GMO seed. Although you may not consume soy products outright, say in the form of soy milk or tofu, you are surely getting a heavy dose of GMO soy if you regularly eat non-organic processed foods. (Thanks to certification standards, when you buy organic you buy food grown without GMO seeds.)

With the tragic consequences of the chronic maladies mentioned above, why would we let these experimental seeds remain in our food source without demanding to know the long-term, generational effects they may have on human health? Why would we want our children to be the guinea pigs for brand-new, laboratory-created proteins that have undergone genetic modification?

First, we should demand our legislators implement a precautionary principle: GMOs should not be allowed into our food system until extensive long-term, third-party studies–not studies funded or in any way influenced by seed technology companies–have been performed. A less effective, but equally important, second is that all of our food must be clearly labeled if it contains GMO crop ingredients.

Source: www.treehugger.com

by Jerome Burne, as featured in ‘Food Matters’

What’s the best way of telling if you are at a raised risk of heart disease? Most people would probably say their cholesterol level, because too much can block your arteries. That’s why the NHS spends more than £1/2 billion a year on statins to treat high cholesterol. Coronary heart disease is the UK’s biggest killer, responsible for more than 115,000 deaths every year. Preventing it is clearly a hugely important task. The heart of the matter: Preventing inflammation could be the key to avoiding heart disease. But this relentless focus on cholesterol could mean that we are missing out on the wider picture – and more effective, cheaper ways of protecting ourselves (without the risk of side-effects from drugs). We all know that old age, smoking, raised blood pressure, lack of exercise and poor diet are significant – but what’s not so familiar is that these factors are linked. And that link is inflammation. Inflammation in itself is not a bad thing – its associated swelling, redness and pain show that your body is working hard to ward off a threat – inflammation is why you don’t die from a cut finger or a bacterial infection. However, chronic inflammation makes heart disease more likely by damaging the lining of blood vessels. This, in turn, lowers production of the nitric oxide that keeps blood vessels flexible; when that happens there is a raised risk of high blood pressure. Damage to the vessel lining also makes it easier for fatty deposits to build up – these can later break away and cause strokes and heart attacks. Smoking, lack of exercise and a poor diet all keep inflammation going. Scientists have known for years that long-term inflammation is a feature of most chronic diseases, including arthritis, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, and Alzheimer’s; heart disease is no exception. There’s a simple blood test that tells you if you’ve got a high level of inflammation – it checks for CRP (c-reactive protein). So could a CRP test help you protect yourself more effectively against heart disease than knowing your cholesterol levels? ‘CRP is far from perfect as a biomarker, but I think it is probably a useful warning that you have early signs of disease,’ says Dr. Ian Graham, professor of epidemiology and public health at the Royal College of Surgeons, and a cardiologist at Trinity College, Dublin. ‘Knowing about it could encourage people to start taking better care of their health earlier. Having your levels tested certainly makes sense.’ This would mean you could treat inflammation before it allowed the furring up of your arteries. Being aware of inflammation also brings the focus of fighting heart disease back to lifestyle measures instead of drugs. ‘What worries me about statins is that they make people less likely to take responsibility for their own health,’ says Dr Graham. ‘They encourage the idea you can sit on the sofa, eating dreadful food but you’re safe because your cholesterol is coming down.’ So how do you go about beating inflammation? Losing weight helps because the extra fat you’re carrying around your belly isn’t just a storage depot; some of the chemicals it produces cause inflammation. Cutting out sugar and refined carbohydrates from your diet also reduces inflammation because high levels of blood glucose and the extra insulin it triggers can inflame and damage arteries. Fish oils have been found to reduce the risk of heart failure patients dying or being hospitalised. Making sure you get a good daily intake of omega 3 fatty acids is a way of damping down the inflammatory response. One trial reported in the summer found that fish oils reduced the risk of patients with heart failure dying or being hospitalised by nine per cent. And then there are statins – the main drugs being tested as a way of tackling inflammation. That’s because as well as lowering cholesterol, statins also target a protein that’s involved in immune reactions. A major trial called Jupiter reported recently that giving a statin to people with high CRP levels but who are otherwise healthy improved their chances of surviving the next four to five years. But critics have pointed out that the benefits of statins were small – for those on the drug, the chances of surviving was 94.9 per cent and if you weren’t on this drug, it was 94.3 per cent. And then there are the potential side effects- – while doctors usually say that muscle pain (myopathy) from statins is rare, a new Canadian study suggests it can affect 10 per cent to 15 per cent of patients. Many of the ways inflammation and heart disease tie up are still controversial and more research is certainly needed. ‘Inflammation is a key player in events triggering a heart attack and also in setting the conditions that lead up to it,’ says Professor Peter Weissberg medical director of the British Heart Foundation. ‘When you use a drug such as a statin it is hard to separate out the effect it has on inflammation from its effect on cholesterol.’ But possibly one of the reasons that trials of lowering CRP haven’t proved very effective is because they have been targeting the wrong thing. ‘CRP just tells you that there is inflammation,’ says Dr Kilmer McCully, Chief of Pathology at the Veterans Hospital in Boston. ‘There is evidence going back a long way that bacteria and viruses are involved in heart disease. They certainly trigger an immune response that would raise CRP but if you don’t get rid of them you are not going to have much of an effect.’ So how do you get rid of these bacteria and viruses? ‘The best defense is an effective immune system and the best way to get that is a highly nutritious diet.’ And CRP is not the only sign of inflammation. An amino acid called homocysteine can contribute to inflammation in the blood vessel walls and research has linked high levels of it with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Homocysteine is produced when we eat meat and dairy products. Normally, the body quickly turns it into other useful chemicals, but sometimes that process goes wrong and levels start to rise. ‘There is no dispute that raised homocysteine is a good predictor of future disease events and death from cardiovascular problems,’ says David Smith, professor of pharmacology at Oxford. ‘If you are otherwise healthy, high homocysteine is a sign your system isn’t working as efficiently as it should be.’ Finally, there is another vitamin that is emerging as a leading player in the fight against inflammation. ‘We could all do with more vitamin D,’ says Dr Oliver Gillie, one of the leading authorities on it in the UK. ‘As many as 90 per cent of us are deficient by the end of winter because we can’t make any from exposure to the sun for about six months of the year this far north. We now know it’s not just used for building bones. ‘It’s involved in many processes, including boosting production of chemicals that calm down inflammation and cutting back on the pro-inflammatory ones.’ By: Jerome Burne, Medical Health Journalist Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Sleep is essential for our health and wellbeing. It allows our body to rejuvenate and restore itself. Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest causes of aging. Tiredness can also affect your mood and how you feel. Chronic tiredness can increase your risk of depression and anxiety. It can also affect the way that you respond and react to the people around you.

It can also affect your cognitive ability and your ability to use your brain. This can cause you to be less constructive and creative. It can also decrease your ability to think quickly which may impair your ability to drive or do daily tasks. There is no set amount of time that everyone needs to sleep, since it varies from person to person. Studies indicate that people are generally most effective when they sleep an average of 7 hours, but people can find anywhere between 5 and 7 hours okay for them.

Insomnia and stress can be caused by deficiencies in certain nutrients. The foods that we eat can help us to gain those nutrients and help us sleep. These 7 simple foods can help us get a good night’s sleep at last so that we can feel refreshed and energized in our daily life.

Bananas
Bananas are a delicious sleepy time fruit. They balance melatonin and serotonin levels, which are the neurotransmitters necessary for deep sleep. They also contain magnesium, which is a muscle relaxant.

Chamomile tea
Chamomile is a mild sedative that calms and relaxes, making it the perfect natural antidote for restless minds and bodies.

Honey (preferably raw honey)
While sugar is stimulating, honey helps the brain to turn off because it contains orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter that’s linked to alertness.

Potatoes
Potatoes contain tryptophan, which will ensure you get your ZZZZZZZZs.

Oatmeal
Oats are a rich source of sleep inducing melatonin.

Almonds
A handful of almonds can help one relax and unwind because they contain the snooze helping nutrients tryptophan and magnesium.

Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which make them a natural mood lifter. Many have found that switching from olive oil (low omega-3) to walnut oil (high omega-3) and flaxseed-oil capsules (very high omega-3) helped sleep, balance, and even moods to improve.

by Sheryl Walters, kinesiologist, nutritionist and holistic practitioner.

Source – Natural News, www.naturalnews.com

These are wonderful to serve for an impressive meal. They are VERY easy to make, but look and taste much more gourmet.
Serves 6

Wraps
4 C organic corn (fresh or frozen, whichever is available to you)
1/3 C ground flax seeds
1/4 C ground sunflower seeds
1/4 C orange juice
1/4 C lime juice
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour out to about 1/8″ thickness onto a non-stick dehydrator sheet and place in a dehydrator for 3 hours at 110 degrees. Carefully peel off wraps and flip onto mesh dehydrator screen and continue drying for one more hour. Cut into large squares and place veggie filling* in center. Roll up, top with favorite salsa or avocado sauce and enjoy.

*Our “recipe” for the filling is nothing more than a variety of favorite minced veggies (such as spinach, carrot, squash), a little onion and some seasonings.

Recipe provided by Purely Delicious Magazine