Archive for May 12, 2013

SOY JOY – NOT!

May 12, 2013 / / Comments Off on SOY JOY – NOT!

funny soyLet’s talk about soy. I know I’ve talked about it before, but wow, this is such a total LHBI (looks healthy but isn’t). It doesn’t deserve it’s mythical status, and a little more bad mouthing is totally appropriate:)

A couple decades ago, when the soy dream hit this country big time, we were all jumping on the band wagion, right? After all, Asians ate it, and they didn’t have menopause! It must be a miracle food!
The scientific evidence against soy has been piling up ever since, but somehow, the word doesn’t get out too well.

 

Here’s the word:
Soy is disastrous for your hormones and your gut.
Here’s some details:
-female babies fed soy milk have higher rates of harm to their reproductive systems thanks to the soy phytoestrogen, genisin
(btw, a phytoestrogen is a plant substance that mimics estrogen in our body)dog fat from soy
-studies show that testosterone decreases in men who consume soy
-soy accelerates puberty in girls
-soy isoflavones genistein and diadzein stimulate existing breast cancer cells (cells that you don’t always know you have)
-studies show that just 2 tbsp of soy a day, in healthy individuals with ADEQUATE iodine intake, slows thyroid function
(soy is definitely “goitrogenic”, which means it interferes with iodine use by the thyroid gland)
-soy contains Protease Inhibitors. This is big. Protease is an enzyme that digests protein. Our pancreas excretes it into our duodenum/first part of small intestines, and it’s a major step in our digestion. So the protein in soy, and any other protein you eat along with the soy, is rendered largely unusable. The Protease Inhibitors inhibit the breakdown of all sources of protein. Talk about gut disrupting. And nutrient depleting. We need protein, it’s our number 2 building block after water.

Then there’s the problem of undigested soy, and other proteins, continuing south through the digestive system – undigested. Instead of having been broken down into little, usable, amino acids, they’re too big to filter thru the intestine wall into the bloodstream. Destruction follows as the big proteins bust thru the wall, and cause…… Leaky Gut. Big problem, and far more common than you could imagine.

There’s more: soy also contains high amounts – more than any other grain – of Phytic Acid. Phytic acid prevents the absorption of minerals in the gut/use by our bodies. Which minerals? Calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Oh, guys, zinc is used to make testosterone – let that be another nail in soy’s coffin. To all of us, zinc’s important to immune function, collagen production, and the brain and nervous system.
All these minerals are vital, and deficiency is rampant. With soy being used in about 60% of all processed foods, you can see where this is a big problem.

How does China get away with it? They eat fermented soy. The fermentation process breaks down the phytic acids and protease inhibitors. Americans don’t eat much miso or temph or natto, (traditional, fermented soy preparations). Americans eat tofu, soy milk, soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, and other highly industrialized and processed forms of soy.

Still not convinced? Here’s a very detailed article by Dr. Mercola called Why you Should Avoid Soy.

More reasons to Read Your Labels!! It matters what we put in our bodies! The food we eat affects our mood, our health, and our weight. Eat Real Whole Foods.

Category: Looks Healthy But Isn't /

Which Butter is Best?

May 11, 2013 / / Comments Off on Which Butter is Best?
Here’s a great question that someone asked me recently…
Hi Debbie, I have been using Smart Balance Light Butter & Canola Oil Blend (spreadable). I am wondering if this is a good choice for me (it contains polyunsaturated fat).  I have high cholesterol.
Fat content: Total – 5gsmart balance
Saturated – 2g
Trans – 0
Polyunsaturated – 1g
Monounsaturated – 2.5g
Ingredients (in order) are water, butter, canola oil, 2% buttermilk powder, fish oil, plant sterols, salt, lactic acid, distilled monoglycerides, natural flavor, pectin, PGPR, potassium sorbate, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene color. It looks good because the fat content is low ( and we’ve been led to believe that important); also, the Canola Oil Lobby has done an incredible job promoting their product as healthy.  I don’t think it is and here’s why.
Canola Oil is an Omega 6 oil, that means it’s “poly-unsaturated”.  Our body needs PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids), that’s what Omega 3s are.  But of all the oils, their chemical structure is the most UNSTABLE.  This matters.  Unstable fats are 100% prone to damage in the presence of heat and light and oxygen (unlike Saturated fat, which is HIGHLY stable).  The body will use damaged fats to build cell walls and cell membranes if we eat them.  Imagine building a brick building with rocks from the drive way and trying to make it work.  Is that a good picture?The ONLY way to “expel” the oil from the seed of the canola (actually the plant is called RapeSeed, they call the oil canola to make it sound more pleasant), is ….thru heat. Period.  So when it gets to the bottle, it’s already damaged.  If you’re cooking with it, you’re damaging it even more.
Let’s look at the rest of the ingredients in the artificial butter-like spread product.  Buttermilk powder:  when you see this, or skim milk powder, which legally does NOT have to be identified when added to milk products,  know that it’s Oxidized.  Oxidized Fats are super super bad for us.  They damage artery walls.  Talk about skyrocketing LDL levels. Distilled Monoglycerides:  this is fascinating.  Mono and Di-glycerides are Hydrogenated Palm Oil.  As in , it’s a Hydrogenated Fat. (bad bad bad).  But when the chemists who discovered how to do it went for their patent, they applied for it as an EMULSIFIER, not as a hydrogenated fat.  So when you see mono and diglycerides on the ingredient label, they do NOT have to be included in the fat identification.  Ugh.  Thank you FDA.  Natural Flavor: read MSG and a TON of chemicals  (how else do you make butter flavor out of thin air?)  PGPR: an emulsifier from psycho showercastor beans usually used to make cheaper chocolates thin and viscous.  Moussalini force fed this to prisoners to give them dirrehea and stomach problems to make them talk.  I guess food scientists are just always keeping their ear to the ground for inventive ways to use neat products.  Potassium Sorbate:  this has a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status, because the FDA says we would only see side effects (nausea and migraines) with long term use. Hmmmm. What the heck do they consider “long term use”?  Go back and look at the ingredient list for Butter (….. cream….).
 Compare that to this “healthy, low fat, butter substitute”.  And finally, to partially address the “I have high cholesterol” and since this contains PUFAs, it must be good, right? Read this:  There is NO Good Scientific Link Between Healthy Saturated Fats and High Cholesterol.
Cholesterol is going to be another email unto it’s self, so I’ll just point you in a couple of directions if you’re really interested:  go on WheatBelly.com or ChrisKresser.com and put cholesterol into their search bar.  Look at the research instead of listening to marketing via pharmaceutical makers.
Back to this product and cholesterol.  There’s damaged, oxidized buttermilk that raises cholesterol, there’s damaged PUFAs that raise cholesterol, and there’s chemicals that go thru the body and cause damage, and that raises cholesterol. Cholesterol is used by the body as a healing substance.  Seriously.  God did not make a giant mistake when He designed our bodies so that almost EVERY SINGLE CELL we have produces cholesterol.  And the liver produces tons.  Where there is INFLAMMATION, from Insulin, from Sugar, from Chemicals, and from Damaged Fats, the liver sends CHOLESTEROL to patch or fix it…….Reread that last paragraph.
food:medicineYou want lower cholesterol?  Quit eating sugar and processed carbs, quit eating chemicals, and quit eating bad fats.
Want to lose weight?  Quit eating sugar and processed carbs, quit eating chemicals, and quit eating bad fats.
Want to get healthy?  Quit eating sugar and processed carbs, quit eating chemicals, and quit eating bad fats.
Eat Real Whole Foods.
Category: Uncategorized /

The Evidence Against Diet Soda – it won’t make you skinny.

May 11, 2013 / / Comments Off on The Evidence Against Diet Soda – it won’t make you skinny.
How is the Real Whole Food effort going?  Remember, it’s just a journey.  Resolve to evolve:)Today I’m going to write about Diet Soda, and there’s so much information that it’ll be a struggle to keep this short.  If you DON’T drink Diet Soda, there’s still pertinent info here, as artificial sweeteners and phosphoric acid are in many, many food products.

Here’s the gist of it:  Diet Soda is Pure Poison.
Here’s the details, and some surprising facts:  The National Institute of Health and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have both recently published the results of huge studies – more than 300,000 people, and longer than 14 years, where they accessed the health risks of Diet Sodas.  So these results are pretty substantial.  And surprising.
  • DIET soda drinkers are 30% more likely to be depressed than regular soda drinkers (surprising)
  • (Coffee drinkers are 10% LESS likely to be depressed than Non coffee drinkers – off topic, but interesting!)
  • Diet Soda increases the risk of Obesity by 200% – you read that right.  200%.  Not a typo.
  • Diet Soda, much more than regular soda, causes intense sugar and carb cravings.
  • Diet Soda has a high correlation to Weight Gain, Stroke, and Heart Disease, more so than regular soda.
  • Diet Soda drinkers drink TWICE as much soda as regular soda drinkers.  (Read: Twice As Many Chemicals)
Please don’t read those bullet point as me giving regular soda the green light, because that stuff’s poison too.  Pure Chemical Concoction . I’m talking about “diet soda”  for a reason:  There is a false sense of security that when we consume foods or drinks that are low in calories, /diet,oh you drink diet soda? we’re doing something good for our weight and our bodies.  If we’re talking about low cal veggies, that’s true.  If we’re talking about low cal Frankenfoods, that’s completely wrong.I bet if you’re a diet soda drinker, you’re feeling a little anxious right now. I understand.  I was addicted for years myself. But it matters that you give it up;  and Moms, it matters that you set the example for your kids.  Again, this stuff is poison.  If your kids see you drinking it, they’ll want to drink it because it’s Delicious and Highly Addictive.Okay, back to the facts.Diet Soda is usually sweetened with one of two sweeteners.   NutraSweet (aka Aspartame), which is a Neurotoxin that overstimulates brain neurons and causes neurological symptoms such as dizziness, seizures, depression, breathing problems, and weight gain.  Studies have linked it to cancer, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis. Aspartame contains methanol, which converts to Formaldehyde.  In the body.  Gross.  NutraSweet  also spikes insulin, that’s your fat storing hormone. The other predominant sweetener is Splenda (aka Sucralose).  Sucralose decreases good gut bacteria by about 50%.  Also, Spenda is made by adding Chlorine to Sucrose;  this creates chemical changes that make this completely unsafe for pregnant women as there’s a link to birth defects and other prenatal conditions, and Chlorinated compounds do have suppressive effects on the Immune System. Splenda/sucralose also spike insulin (more fat storing), and some studies link it to migraines, gastrointestinal issues, and thymus gland damage.  Yikes.All soda, Diet or regular, caffeinated or non-caffeinated,  contains Phosphoric Acid.  Here’s the Diet Soda /  Osteoporosis Link.

Phosphorus is a necessary mineral in our body. The problem stems from OVERconsumption of Phosphorus; the average American consumes at least 3X as much as they need.  Phosphoric Acid is very Acidic (obviously);  Calcium, which we store in our bones, is Alkalizing.  When our blood becomes too acidic from the excess Phosphoric Acid, our bones give up their Calcium to neutralize the blood, or bring it back to Basic.   Have you ever heard of “swiss cheese bones”,  because that’s what can happen when the bones have to constantly give up TOO much Calcium to bring the blood back to homeostasis.

In 2012, the Surgeon’s Generals Report predicted that by 2020, 50% of ALL Americans will have weak bones. Several studies and groups, including the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, definitively link phosphoric acid with osteoporosis.   cartoon of kid in diet soda canNot good for us and Not good for our kids.

  • Phosphoric Acid also creates such substantial changes in your URINE, that Kidney Stone risk is 30% higher.
  • Diet Soda drinkers are 61% more likely to have Heart Disease.
  • Diet Soda drinkers are 34% more likely to have Metabolic Syndrome.
How bout the bullet point that Diet drinkers drink twice as much, what’s the significance there?  Artificial sweeteners are hundreds or thousands of times SWEETER than SUGAR.
What this means is YOU’RE TRAINING YOUR TASTE BUDS, AND YOUR BRAIN, TO LOVE THE TASTE OF  “VERY, VERY, VERY SWEET”.  This is a bad thing. Sugar is Addictive. Artificial Sugars are addictive. Your “taste” for “sweet” will be excessive.  Your bodies desire for carbohydrates, starchy or sweet, will be reinforced and intensified. Does this sound familiar?  Because if it does, and you want to break your Diet Soda habit, I do know a way, other than cold turkey. If you’re good at Cold Turkey, go for it!  If not, email me.

I want to point out that I used the NIH and AJCL studies because they’re well known organizations, and the studies were enormous.  But truly, the amount of studies out there, from different Universities or other scientific groups, confirming that Diet Soda drinkers have a higher risk for obesity and health problems, is big.

Here’s my wrap up:  Even though Regular Sodas are a horrible, unhealthy, pure chemical concoction;  Diet Soda, because of the addition of artificial sweetener, is even worse.   Diet Soda drinkers have a greater risk of Depression, Weight Gain, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity, and Metabolic Syndrome.  The myth of Diet Soda making you skinny, or making you look like Beyonce or Taylor Swift (who are paid promoters), is a Marketing Lie. I feel like yelling “Rage Against The Machine” here:)

Again, if you’re addicted, please email me. Read your labels, drink water, eat meats, healthy fats, tons of vegetables, some fruits, some nuts, some dairy, some seeds and legumes. Choose RWF
Category: Food Additives, Looks Healthy But Isn't /

Serotonin and MSG

May 5, 2013 / / Comments Off on Serotonin and MSG
I recently attended a full day lecture called  “Nutritional Perspectives On Neurological Disorders”.  The guy was fantastic.  He was a Dr. from Vermont who was a great speaker, great presenter, and he had great information.  I’m obviously not a neurologist nor anywhere near that field; but there was plenty I could understand and absorb.

Here some interesting tidbits that I learned:
The amount of Serotonin you have in your brain is DIRECTLY related to the amount of Tryptophan you eat.  Directly.  Your highest food sources of Tryptophan are meats, dairy, and nuts and seeds. (it’s in other foods too, pull up a list if you want) YOU NEED PROPER/GOOD DIGESTION TO ACTUALLY GET THE TRYPTOPHAN OUT OF THE FOODS AND USE IT.  (Everything begins in the gut.)

Serotonin is an “inhibitory” neurotransmitter.  That means it has a calming effect.
When people have a hard day or a stressful event and they have INSUFFICIENT serotonin, but their brain wants some,  they will indulge in Carb/Junk Food fests, because processed/refined Carbs give quick doses of Serotonin.

Here’s the kicker: the elevated Serotonin ONLY LASTS BETWEEN 30 AND 60 MINUTES.  It’s not a permanent solution to your stress.  We all know that we can actually feel more stress when the  indulging is over. It’s also not a permanent solution to raising Serotonin.
stuffing face

High levels of Blood Glucose interferes with the chemical pathway of Tryptophan becoming Serotonin. This is NOT a contradictory statement with the above paragraph.  Tryptophan is found in meat, dairy, nuts and seeds.  RWFs!  There’s a chain of events that happens that allows the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin. High levels of BG are primarily from meals/snacks of processed and refined carbs.
Different pathways to Serotonin. One pathway, RWFs and good digestion, actually BUILDS SEROTONIN LEVELS IN YOUR BRAIN,  the other pathway basically gives you a short, temporary dose of Serotonin.  Which sounds better in the long run?

Moving on…You know how we’ve talked often about MSG – Monosodium Glutamate?   It has a couple dozen different, FDA approved names;  it’s an Excito / Neurotoxin, and it’s in at LEAST 70% of ALL processed and refined foods?  Glutamate is an EXCITATORY neurotransmitter.  That means it literally stimulates the neurons in your brain.  A LITTLE bit of this is good and normal, and some RWFs actually contain tiny amounts of glutamate.  Processed/refined foods contain whopper doses.  If you’re eating processed/refined foods all day long, or even a few times a day (or your kids are),   brain neurons are being OVERSTIMULATED to the point of exhaustion, and DEATH.  Let me repeat that :  Glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter present in about 70% of all processed and refined foods, overstimulates brain neurons to the point of death. For me, that’s old news.  One of my kids is epileptic, and I’ve tried hard to steer clear of glutamate – her brain’s excited enough.  Here’s the New News for me:  Brain Neurons Get Addicted To The Stimulation.  They send signals out for more stimulation.  Ever wonder why all the sudden the thought of certain foods pops into your head, and your desire for that food is overwhelming?  That’s the brain neurons – bored and anxious, and wanting their fix.

Moms,  don’t let this happen to your kids.  If they’re already addicted to junk food, they can be kid devouring jelly beansUNaddicted.  Don’t buy it, don’t bring it in your home. It will take a little while – a withdraw period – but it will happen.  Our bodies WANT to be normal and healthy. Given a chance, they will be. Eat Real Whole Foods!!!
Category: Food Additives, RWF, Sugar / Tags:

Calorie Consumption Decreases, Yet Weight Increases? & LHBI

May 2, 2013 / / Comments Off on Calorie Consumption Decreases, Yet Weight Increases? & LHBI
How’s the RWF effort going?  Reading labels a little more?

I’ve got some interesting statistics today.  The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) put out a report in February, 2013, that states that between 2000 and 2010, Americans total calorie consumption declined, yet American’s weight increased.

Some Visual:

In 1980, 46% of all Americans were overweight.
In 2000, 62% of all Americans were overweight.
In 2012, 70% of all Americans were overweight.

More Visual:

In 1992, Americans spent 30 Billion a year on Diet Products.
In 2007, Americans spent 60 Billion a year on Diet Products.
In 2010, Americans spent 70 Billion a year on Diet Products.

Americans are eating significantly less Red Meat, Dairy, and Whole Milk than in 1950.  The CDC, and the AJCN (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition), who had much comment on the CDC report, are both confused.  They hold strongly to a “calories in, calories out” paradigm;  or should I say, “calories in, calories out” fantasy.
70% of the Food Americans Eat Is Processed and Refined.  That’s a lot of Chemicals, Refined Carbs/Sugars, and Hydrogenated Oils. Diet Foods are 100% processed and refined.chips ahoy

These foods make our body sick, depressed, fat, broken, and hungry.

Here’s an ingredient list from Chips Ahoy Reduced Fat Cookies:

Doesn’t look like the ingredients on the back of the chocolate chip bag, does it. Seven sources of refined carbs, which stimulate Insulin production (the Fat Storage hormone), Soy ( phytoestroten, thyroid slowing, gut disrupting), partially hydrogenated oils (inflammatory and cell disrupting), MSG/flavors(neurotoxin), and Caramel Color.

Here’s the scoop on Caramel Color:  The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has been petitioning the FDA for years to get caramel color out of the food supply.  Both Coke and Pepsi took it out of their products last year when the CSPI published reports showing that it could cause Thyroid and Liver Cancer, and Leukemia.  The FDA is investigating….

If you want to lose weight, get healthy, and feel good mentally, you’ve got to get off the processed foods.  There’s just not one redeeming quality about them.  Whether they’re diet or non-diet, they make you sick, fat, broken, and hungry. Eat Real Whole Foods.

Category: Food Additives, Looks Healthy But Isn't /
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