Know Your Sugars

All the information thrown at us by food manufacturers can be confusing and reading an ingredient list can be down right misleading.  Instead of writing words that mean something to the person buying the product, they use numbers usually beginning with an E that has no meaning to the general public or a name that is impossible to pronounce.  One piece of advice is: If you can't pronounce it or if it has a number in it then DON'T EAT IT!

One of the big dangers in our diet in modern society and especially in the west is sugar.  It may be delicious and appealing but it does us no good at all.  So if you are interested in understanding a bit more about the sugars in our diet then read on...  Dr. Marcola sums it up brilliantly:

1.  Dextrose, fructose and glucose are simple sugars or monosaccharides.  Glucose and dextrose are basically the same, however, the commonly used term for them in ingredient lists is dextrose.  The difference between these three is the way the body metabolizes them.

2. Simple sugars can be combined to form more complex sugars such as disaccharide sucrose, commonly known as table sugar which is half glucose and half fructose.

3. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is 55% fructose and 45% glucose. (I'll get back to this in another post - there is a lot to be said about HFCS).

4.  Sugar alcohols such as xylitol, glycerol, sorbitol, Maltitol, mannitol, and erythritol are not either sugar or alcohol but are used as sweeteners.  For the most part they are incompletely absorbed in the small intestine, therefore providing fewer calories than sugar but can often cause intestinal problems such as bloating, flatulence and diarrhea.

5.  Sucralose (Splenda) is NOT a sugar, it is a chlorinated artificial sweetener similar to aspartame and saccharin, and is damaging to health.

6.  Agave Syrup, this one is confusing as it is promoted as "natural" but is typically highly processed and is usually 80% fructose.   The end product does not resemble the original agave plant in any way, shape or form.

7.  Honey is about 53% fructose but is completely natural in its raw form and contains many health benefits when used in moderation.  Among others it contains as many antioxidants as spinach.

8.  There are natural sweeteners such as Stevia (in the photo) or Lo Han (or Luo Han Guo).  Stevia is derived from the leaf of the South American Stevia plant and Lo Han is derived from a fruit.

It is much better to stick to the the natural sweeteners if you have a sweet tooth.  All artificial sweeteners are harmful to health.  Or you could try kicking the sugar habit and take control of your health.  Watch this space for more information on kicking the sugar habit and HFCS.

Forks over Knives

This week I read an article on food and diet in an English newspaper... it wasn't particularly good but a comment left by another reader did catch my eye.  The comment suggested that we should all watch the film Forks over Knives.  I googled it and found it easily online... and for free!

I then sat riveted for the next 96 minutes.  Two doctors in the USA were advocating the benefits of a vegan diet and the dangers of milk produce.

Now, I have never been in favor of milk produce but I admit I have always been a little judgmental of vegetarian and vegan diets.  It has always worried me that vegetarians and vegans are lacking in certain proteins, vitamins and minerals.

It turns out I was wrong.

Not just in this film, but in others such as Hungry for Change or Food Matters it has been proven that none of us (as in the general public) really know how to eat correctly or the dangers of our modern diet.  The amount of chemical compounds we are ingesting is frightening (chemical sweeteners and "E" additives) not to mention Monosodium Glutamate which makes food "taste better" are seriously damaging our health.  Monosodium Glutamate is used to fatten mice in lab tests on obesity.  Yes, they actually need to fatten the mouse first as mice are not usually obese.  Refined foods where all the goodness has been extracted in the refining process and bleaches used to whiten foods are unfortunately, on our daily menu.  Fast food is quicker and easier to obtain than shopping, preparing and cooking a meal from scratch.

Anyway, I could rattle on for hours about additives and "E" numbers which contribute to, among many other things, hyperactivity in children, and don't even get me started on aspartame which can cause cancer.

Forks over Knives, gives a clear picture into the effect food has on our bodies, especially where heart disease is concerned and how a simple change in our diet could ward off horrendous diseases such as this and cancer.  In some cases a change in diet has even meant a reversal in heart disease and in others the disappearance of Type II Diabetes and the opportunity to become so healthy you can even stop taking medicines!

The truth of the matter is, we need to change the way we eat and for a better understanding of this I urge you all to watch Forks over Knives... you can click here to watch the movie: Forks over Knives

I would also really love to hear your feedback on this, as I find it extremely interesting.

Food Intolerances

Food intolerances are not to be confused with food allergies. 

Food allergies are an adverse immune response to a food protein and are different from other adverse responses such as food intolerance, pharmacological reactions and toxin-mediated responses.  Food allergies occur when the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies a protein as a threat, the proteins that are resistant to digestion are tagged by the Immunoglobulin E (IgE) and considered harmful by the immune system which triggers an allergic reaction believing it is under attack.  Allergic reactions to food can range from mild to severe and symptoms include dermatitis, gastrointestinal and respiratory distress and can even become life-threatening anaphylactic responses such as biphasic anaphylaxis and vasodilation, which must receive immediate emergency intervention.  Frequent foods associated with allergies are nuts, shellfish, fish, peanuts, soya, milk, gluten and eggs. 

Food intolerances or non-allergic hypersensitivity to food is a term used for varied physiological responses associated with a particular food, or compound found in a range of foods.

Food intolerances can be classified according to their mechanism.  Some intolerances can result from the absence of a specific chemical or enzyme needed to digest a food substance as in lactose intolerance, the enzyme lactase is missing and therefore the lactose in milk can not be digested by the body.  Another example is hereditary fructose intolerance.

Non-IgE mediated food hypersensitivity (food intolerance) is more chronic, less acute, less obvious in its symptoms, and quite often far more difficult to diagnose than a food allergy.  Food intolerance can be difficult to diagnose as the body’s response to the offending food is often a slow response which takes place over a prolonged period of time.  Lots of people do not even realize that food is causing their health problems; gases, headaches, diarrhea, constipation, sluggishness, a constant feeling of being tired, problematic digestions that seem to go on all day, stomach ache, obesity, etc.. A lot of these complaints are put down to stress, working long hours, not sleeping enough or a lack of exercise. 

If food intolerances go untreated, overtime they can produce more serious illnesses such as IBS and diverticulitis.  However, the good news is that they are very easy to treat.  There are now many clinics that do intolerance tests but don’t be fooled by apparently easy tests.  The only way to truly identify a food intolerance is through a specific blood test done at a respectable clinic that ensures it is a food intolerance test.

Treatment consists quite simply of removing the foods which have tested positive for intolerance for a certain period of time, and tailoring a diet which is specific for each person – no two people are the same so no one diet works for everyone.  After the set period of time, the foods can be slowly reintroduced one at a time.  Some people won’t have a problem reintroducing foods, others may find there are one or more that they can not reintroduce as they effect their health straight away.

Once the foods that have tested positive for intolerance are removed, and together with the taylor-made diet, several positive things happen; people experience an improvement in their general health straight away, gases disappear as does sluggishness and constant tiredness, they sleep better at night and have more energy during the day and headaches disappear or become less frequent and there is also the added benefit that they lose weight easily.  These are all positive experiences that better people’s general health and wellbeing.

Pure Coconut Oil. A "cure" for Alzheimer's?

I was left totally amazed yesterday... my caring uncle who sends me hundreds of emails a week (mostly jokes) sent me this little gem which really had me investigating further.

Dr. Mary T. Newport M.D. had to face the terrible news that her husband had advanced Alzheimer's Disease.  As a pediatrician she didn't know much about Alzheimer's so investigated as much as she could on the disease.  She likens it to a type of diabetes of the brain where insulin issues prevent the brain cells from obtaining the glucose that they need for fuel.  When deprived of glucose the brain cells eventually shrivel and die.

However there is an alternative fuel in the form of KETONES which are metabolized in the liver after you eat medium chain triglycerides.  One form of medium chain triglycerides is pure coconut oil.  Dr. Newport began to incorporate pure coconut oil into her husband's diet and the first signs of improvement were seen in just 2 weeks.  At his diagnosis they asked him to draw a clock - he was not able to, after 2 weeks of pure coconut oil, he was able to, another 2 weeks later his clock was perfect.  His speech had improved, his coordination had improved he even had more energy and a more positive attitude... absolutely amazing for such a short space of time.  Dr. Newport even documented her husband's progress in her book Alzheimer's Disease - What if there was a cure?

What is known is that Professor Kieran Clarke Ph.D of Oxford University (UK), and her team have created a Ketone Ester that is 10 times more powerful than pure coconut oil and could be a wonder remedy.  Sadly, it all comes back to money... they need millions of pounds to mass produce it and it wouldn't be a profitable business for the investors.  This is sad when you consider that by the year 2050 there will be 15.000.000 people in the United States alone with Alzheimer's Disease.  Maybe it's time to stop looking at profits and start thinking about reducing the burden on the State produced by 15.000.000 people suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

You can watch the CBN News report here: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=ZZOR-Qd3QSg it only takes 5 minutes and may change your life.

As far as Pure Coconut Oil is concerned here are some helpful tips:

Coconut oil can be substituted for any solid or liquid oil, lard, or butter in stove top cooking o baking.  It can be mixed directly into previously prepared dishes.  Some people like to take a spoonful straight up, but this can be disagreeable for some people so mixing it with something else is more palatable.

Coconut oil used to have a bad name as it was considered to raise cholesterol levels... that was before scientists discovered that there are two types of cholesterol; LDL or bad cholesterol and HDL which is the good cholesterol that protects the heart.  Coconut oil has been found to raise the HDL marker and therefore protects the heart.  Coconut oil has also been found to contain small amounts of phytosterols which are one of the components of "statins" used for lowering cholesterol.

It is important to use PURE coconut oil, you must make sure it is non-hydrogenated with no transfat.  Coconut oil that are hydrogenated or have been super heated because it changes the chemical structure of the fats.  You must look for products called "virgin", "organic" or "unrefined".

Coconut milk is a combination of the oil and the water from the coconut and most of the calories are from the oil. Coconut cream is mostly coconut milk and sometimes has sugar added.  Grated or flaked coconut can be purchased unsweetened or sweetened and is a good source of fiber and coconut oil and contains about 15 grams of oil and 3 grams of fiber per 1/4 cup.  However, canned or frozen coconut meat normally contains a lot of added sugar and not much oil per serving.  A fresh coconut can be cut up into pieces and eaten fresh.  A 2x2 inch piece has about 160 calories and contains 15 grams of oil and 4 grams of fiber.  Coconut water does not contain coconut oil usually, but does provide other health benefits.  Its electrolyte composition is similar to that of human plasma and is useful in the prevention or treatment of dehydration.

Incorporation of pure coconut oil into the diet is beneficial to those people who have a neurodegenerative disease that involves decreased glucose uptake in neurons such as Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias, Parkinson's, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, autism, Down's syndrome, and Huntington's chorea.

Ketones are also an alternative fuel for other cells in the body that are resistant to insulin or cannot transport glucose, they could also potentially lessen the effects of diabetes I and II on the brain and other organs.

Incorporating pure coconut oil into the diet should be done slowly, too much too soon could produce indigestion, cramping or diarrhea.  Start by taking 1 teaspoon of oil with food per meal, increasing gradually, as tolerated, over a week or longer to 4-6 tablespoons a day spread between 2-4 meals.

However, if you have a weight problem or you gain weight easily then you must be careful, as with any fat.  You can substitute your usual oils for pure coconut oil but if that isn't enough then you should cut back on the amount of carbohydrates you are consuming.  You can also cut back from full fat milk to skimmed milk inorder to balance out the amount of fats you are ingesting.

Remember most of the cells in the body are regenerated within 3-6 months so any damage you may have sustained from consuming trans fats in vegetable oils, could be improved and after that time you may notice an improvement in your skin and a decrease in certain problems such as yeast and fungal infections.

For more information go to: www.coconutketones.com

THE TRUTH ABOUT SATURATED FATS

Everyday we are finding out more and more information as to how food affects our bodies and consequently our health.  For years the “health authorities” have told us that the food pyramid is the guideline for healthy eating.

This pyramid has been proven scientifically to be wrong.  But still the “health authorities” stand by this long-standing mistake.  Why?  Who knows?  Maybe it’s because grains are cheaper and more abundant than fish, meat and poultry.  Basing our diets on grains means that the “health authorities” can guarantee to a certain extent that a large part of the population will be “well fed”. 

However, if we just take into account one point, the food pyramid makes no sense at all.  That point is:

Our digestive systems have not changed in over 10,000 years, however our eating habits have changed beyond recognition.

10,000 years ago, man ate what he could catch (fish, meat, poultry), and what he could gather, (vegetables and fruit).  There were no such things as processed foods, vegetable fats that have been manufactured in a factory or refined sugars and flours.  What is posing the biggest threat to our health is the processed food that the “health authorities” are trying so hard to get us to eat.  Add to that our sedentary lifestyles and you have a recipe for disaster.

You don’t even have to go back 10,000 years.  Our great grandparents (in some cases) and our grandparents didn’t eat processed food.  They ate meat, vegetables, butter, and full fat milk but also had a more active lifestyle.

It is widely accepted that the causes of coronary heart disease are saturated fats and cholesterol, and few people date to question this.  It is called the lipid hypothesis idea.  This idea has dominated medical thinking about heart disease for the past 50 years.

The theory is that when we eat foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol, these substances are deposited in our arteries in the form of plaque.  The plaque builds up over time, causing our arteries to get narrower until one day, little or now blood can pass through, thus a heart attack occurs.

This does make a degree of sense, and so the lipid hypothesis idea gained many followers.  However, the theory that saturated fats and cholesterol causes heart disease fail to explain other observations.

In America, the rate of heart disease soared during a period when saturated fat consumption fell sharply while cholesterol intake remained basically unchanged.

Before 1900, heart disease was rare in America only affecting about 8% of the population.  By 1950, heart disease caused 30% of all deaths in America.  Today, it causes about 45% of all deaths.

During this period the consumption of butter fell from 18lbs per person per year at the turn of the century, to about 10lbs per person per year by 1950.  Today it is even lower, however, the rate of heart disease continues de rise.

During this same period, margarine consumption rose from 2lbs per person at the turn of the century to about 8lbs per person – something that was promoted as being healthier than saturated fats.

There is strong evidence that the trans fats used in making vegetable oils and margarines are far more harmful to our bodies than naturally produced saturated fats.

To fully understand the meaning and dangers of trans fats, I urge you to go to the following website:

http://www.stop-trans-fat.com/what-is-trans-fat.html

This is a very comprehensive web, which tells you the dangers of trans fats and where they can be found in our daily food.

Many studies have been carried out to verify the build up of plaque in different nationalities according to their diet.  One of the biggest studies carried out to establish that saturated fats is the main cause of coronary heart disease was the International Atherosclerosis Project 1968, in which over 22,000 corpses from 14 different nations were examined for plaques in the arteries.  This study found roughly the same degree of plaque build up in all the 14 nations studied.  The same build up among people who had meat based diets as well as those who ate little of no meat.  The same build up among people with high rates of heart disease as well as those with little or no heart disease.

I also recommend watching a very interesting video on www.youtube.com called Big Fat Fiasco by Tom Naughton “on how the misguided fear of saturated fat created a nation of obese diabetics”.

To this we also need to add the toxic effects of sugar.  Sugar and high fructose corn syrup consumption has risen drastically over the years and can be found in the most surprising places (Heinz baked beans contains 5g sugar per 100gr of product, Special K red berries cereal 23g of sugar per 100gr of product, etc).  Recently an article was published called The toxic truth about sugar by Robert H. Lustig, Laura A. Schmidt and Claire D. Brindis which states that sugar is so lethal to our health that it should have the same restrictions as tobacco and alcohol.  The article states that sugary foods and drinks are the cause of illnesses such as obesity, heart disease, cancer and liver problems.  They say that the damage done through sugar consumption mirrors the damage done by drinking too much alcohol (made from distilling sugar).

So what should we do to be healthy?  We need to go back to a healthy and varied diet based on meat, fish and poultry, fruit and vegetables and any grains should be whole grains rather than refined grains.  And, we need to move.  Our sedentary lifestyles have a dramatic effect on our health.  However, contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to go mad and sign up for a marathon or payout an expensive gym fee.  All you NEED to do is to walk, 30 – 45 minutes 5 days a week, at a pace that leaves you short of breath.  Now this could mean getting off the tube or bus a few stops early.  Anymore exercise than this is totally up to you.  My main advice would be to find a sport that you truly enjoy, or organize a walking group so that you can do it in company – this will also motivate you, if you have arranged to meet other people, it isn’t so easy to find an excuse not to go.  It really isn’t that difficult.