Friday, March 18, 2011
Eating with Diabetes: Exposing the Common Myths
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Why Fruit Juice Is So Bad For Health
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Is Soy Milk Bad for You?
(The article below is reproduced from the following website: www.whatyourbabyneeds.com/is-soy-milk-bad-for-you/)
Over the past decade, more and more health-conscious people are starting to ask “Is soy milk bad for you?” This question comes as more and more former vegetarians work hard to repair damaged health that seems to have resulted from years of relying on this bean to replace high quality protein in their diet. Here is how soy became so popular in the west.
Since the time of Hitler and Mussolini, the soybean has been increasingly recognized as a protein replacement that could feed large numbers of people on the cheap — it made up a substantial portion of their soldiers’ rations. Today, soy is said to be powerful enough to lower breast cancer, slow or reverse bone loss, lower cholesterol, reduce excess weight and stave off hot flashes.
However, if soy is potent enough to keep breast cancer rates so low in Asia, what then is responsible for their soaring rates of esophageal, stomach, thyroid, pancreatic and liver cancer? Why is it that both children and adults suffer from more broken bones in since the soy campaign began in the west 20 years ago? Clearly cholesterol levels and obesity are skyrocketing since soy was introduced to the west. And did you ever know a menopausal woman to have a sunny disposition simply by consuming this bean?
Here are just a few of the soy facts I shared with my What Your Baby Needs Before Conception class. Bear in mind that I am only keeping to the facts here. So, is soy milk bad for you? You be the judge:
Claims that soy has been around since “time immemorial” are false. Soy was first consumed only about 2,500 years ago. It was called chiang, a fermented product and ancestor of today’s miso. It was used to preserve meat and was consumed in very small quantities — basically whatever clung to the meat.
In ancient Chinese literature, soy was considered the only legume that should not be eaten. Later it was discovered that fermentation neutralized or at least weakened many of soy’s harmful anti-nutrients and the warning was (somewhat) lifted.
Tofu, a.k.a. meat without a bone, was introduced a few hundred years after the benefits of fermenting soy were discovered. It was eaten only by monks as an aid to spiritual development and sexual abstinence. Although it was probably not recognized at the time soy lowers testosterone levels — a good way to keep the monks focusing on spiritual development instead of women.
The phytoestrogens in soy bind to estrogen receptors creating serious hormonal imbalances resulting in infertility, miscarriage, lowered libido, precocious puberty in girls and breasts, hypospadias* and testicular cancer in boys.
Over 80% of all soy grown in the US is genetically engineered — another reason why soy is linked to infertility and miscarriage. Genetically engineered foods also cause infertility in offspring.
Talk to any farmer and they will tell you that soy (along with corn and skim milk) is the fastest and surest way to fatten up an animal. Goitrogens in soy are particularly hardy and block iodine uptake to the thyroid gland, which stokes the body’s metabolic fire. In a few people it speeds up the thyroid resulting in the opposite problem (extreme weight loss) and premature aging. For these people it often ends up exhausting the thyroid over time and eventually leading to sudden unexplained weight gain.
Soy bio-accumulates aluminum, a toxic heavy metal associated with cognitive decline.
Soy contains fluoride, which is associated with cretinism, learning disabilities, violence and ADD in children.
Soy contains toxic levels of manganese an otherwise helpful nutrient in trace amounts. High levels of manganese are considered by many to be the true cause of mad cow and related diseases of the brain including learning disabilities, violence and ADD.
Soy’s protease inhibitors impair protein digestion. Protease is the enzyme that breaks down protein.
Soy is not a complete protein. It is missing four essential amino acids — amino acids the body must get from food. Combining it with grains does not improve it’s profile much. Your body will not wait around to for you to get the missing aminos from other foods at a subsequent meal. Therefore, the aminos in soy are essentially useless. Traditionally, Asians always consumed soy foods with animal foods such as fish or pork to help round out the protein content.
Soy is listed on the FDA’s poisonous plant database where it has confirmed over 250 known side effects.
Soy is one of the top seven allergens. It is steadily climbing to the #1 position.
If there are some benefits to soy, they would be revealed by consuming it similar to the traditional Asian way — about two teaspoons per day or less and fermented. In fact, after World War II small amounts of miso were given to Hiroshima victims to reduce the incidence of stomach cancer.
Japan and China are increasing their rates of soy consumption thanks to a US campaign led by soy producers to “reconnect Asians with their traditional diet.” Despite consuming soy in its fermented forms, the increases are resulting in the many problems listed above.
Read labels on soy milk and other products very carefully. Soy parades under many names: genistein, textured vegetable protein (TVP), vegetable oil, protein isolate, vitamin E, and lecithin. It also shows up in some of the least expected places: gravies and sauces, milk, meat (fresh and processed), supplements, medications, breads, mayonnaise and farm-raised fish. But no matter where it shows up, its effects are still the same.
The governments of New Zealand and Israel require a type of “Surgeon General’s” warnings on many soy-containing products, but especially infant formula. We would all do well to completely avoid these once-considered inedible forms of this highly toxic legume to protect our fertility and our babies’ health.
Note from Russell Eaton: for the world’s best collection of recipes for making non-soy, non-dairy milk see The Foolproof Diet (www.the-foolproof-diet.com).
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Why raw milk is bad food
"The raw vs. pasteurized debate places the alleged health benefits of consuming raw milk against the disease threat of unpasteurized milk. Although agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other worldwide regulatory agencies say that pathogens from raw milk make it unsafe to consume,[4] other organizations such as the Weston A. Price Foundation in its "Real Milk" campaign say that raw milk has health benefits that are destroyed in the pasteurization process and that it can be produced hygienically. Dr. Joseph Mercola, another promoter of raw milk, says the health benefiting ingredients destroyed during pasteurization include: valuable enzymes, unprocessed natural butterfat, healthy unoxidized cholesterol, conjugated linoleic acid, and its high omega-3 and low omega-6 ratios."
In fact, both sides of the debate are wrong. Raw milk is bad for health and so is pasteurized milk. Why? For a variety of reasons: both types of milk are rich in saturated fat, indigestible protein, mucus forming casein, harmful bovine hormones, and a host of other harmful substances.
But leaving all this aside, there is one undeniable fact: IGF-1 is present in both raw milk and in pasteurized milk in equal quantities. IGF-1 is truly bad news. Any advocate of raw milk cannot escape the fact that however organic, “nutritious”, clean, and pure the milk, it will be rich in IGF-1 hormones. Countless scientific studies published in peer-reviewed journals show that IGF-1 increases the risk of cancer and other illneses in humans.
Here is just a small selection of these studies:
• IGF-1 is critically involved in the aberrant growth of human breast cancer cells. (Journal of the National Institute of Health, 1991-3).
• Estrogen regulation of IGF-1 in breast cancer cells would support the hypothesis that IGF-1 has a regulatory function in breast cancer. (Molecular Cell Endocrinology, March, 99-2).
• IGF-1 is a potent growth factor for cellular proliferation in the human breast carcinoma cell line. (Journal of Cellular Physiology, January, 1994, 158-1).
• IGF-1 plays a major role in breast cancer cell growth. (European Journal of Cancer, 29A - 16, 1993).
• IGF-1 produces a 10-fold increase in RNA levels of cancer cells. IGF-1 appears to be a critical component in cellular proliferation. (Experimental Cell Research, March, 1994, 211-1).
• IGF-1 accelerates the growth of breast cancer cells. (Science, Vol. 259, January 29, 1993).
• A strong positive association was observed between IGF-1 levels and prostate cancer risk. (Science, vol. 279, January 23, 1998).
• IGF-1 can affect the proliferation of breast epithelial cells, and is thought to have a role in breast cancer. (The Lancet, vol. 351, May 9, 1998).
• IGF-1 strongly stimulates the proliferation of a variety of cancer cells, including those from lung cancer. (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol. 91, no. 2, January 20, 1999).
• IGF-1 is widely involved in human carcinogenesis. A significant association between IGF-1 and an increased risk of lung, colon, prostate, and pre-menopausal breast cancer has recently been reported. (International Journal of Cancer, 2000 Aug. 87:4).
• A raised level of IGF-1 has been associated with breast cancer for women and prostate cancer for men. (Rosemary Hoskins, Food Fact no. 2, A Safe Alliance Publication, 1998).
• By continuing to drink [dairy] milk, one delivers the most powerful growth hormone in nature to his or her body (IGF-I). That hormone has been called the key factor in the growth of breast, prostate, and lung cancer. At the very best, or worst, this powerful growth hormone instructs all cells to grow. This might be the reason that Americans are so overweight. At the very worst, this hormone does not discriminate. When it finds an existing cancer, usually controlled by our immune systems, the message it delivers is: GROW! (Robert Cohen, Milk – The Deadly Poison, Argus Publishing, January 1, 1998, ISBN: 0965919609).
• Several studies have shown powerful associations between IGF-1 and the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer, and pre-menopausal breast cancer. As a matter of fact, recent evidence indicates that high IGF-1 levels may be more important than other previously reported risk factors for cancer. The pharmaceutical industry is well aware of the increasingly clear association between IGF-1 and cancer. Chemotherapeutic drugs are being developed to block the activity of IGF-1 or enhance the activity of IGF binding protein-3. (Smith, George Davey, et al. Cancer and insulin-like growth factor-I. British Medical Journal, Vol. 321, October 7, 2000, pp. 847-48).
• IGF-1 has been called ‘plug and play cancer fuel’ by many. Here is what Dr. Sarfaraz K. Niazi (PhD pharmaceutical sciences, University of Illinois, USA) has to say regarding hormones in milk:
‘Some dairy milk samples also show noticeable concentration of a growth hormone given to cows to promote their growth and increase milk production. Being fat-soluble, hormones are more concentrated in the cream. Hormones in milk are a serious threat to health because even at very low concentrations, they can cause severe imbalance of our physiologic system. They have also been implicated in many types of cancers and decreased resistance to infections and diseases. Though prohibited in some parts of the world, unscrupulous farmers continue to use hormones. Whatever a cow eats shows up in her udders. The grass, silage, straw, cereals, roots, tubers, legumes, oilseeds, oilcakes, and milk by-products, which contain a variety of chemical additives, make the diet of modern cow. The diet of cows is rife with pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides and traces of heavy metals along with chemicals from spoilage. With each glass of milk shoved down little Jane's or Johnny's throat, comes the increased chance of their developing atherosclerosis, cancer, autoimmune diseases, infections and a host of other diseases still unidentified, when they reach adulthood.’
• Levels of IGF-1 ….have been associated with prostate cancer risk in at least three prospective studies. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have provided abundant evidence that IGF-1 can promote prostate carcinogens, including the observations that IGF-1 administration induces prostate growth in the rat, and that prostate tumor development in transgenic mouse models is accompanied by elevations in IGF-1 expression. Sources: (i) Gann, Peter H., MD, ScD, Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer, Rev Urol. 2002; 4(Suppl 5): S3–S10. PMCID: PMC1476014. (ii) Pollak M. Insulin-like growth factors and prostate cancer. Epidemiol Rev. 2001;23:59–66.
• ‘We showed that IGF-1 can completely take the place of growth hormone” in breast tissue. In other words, IGF-1 can trigger cell growth without an outside cue. Estrogen can amplify the cell-proliferating effects seen with IGF-1, both in the breast and prostate. Excess of IGF-1 or estrogen occurs in the presence of the other which can cause breast hyperplasia (cell division on overdrive) putting one at risk for breast cancer.’ (Kleinberg, David L., et al, Growth Hormone and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I in the Transition from Normal Mammary Development to Preneoplastic Mammary Lesions, Endocr. Rev., Feb 2009; 30: 51 – 74).
For more information on this subject see The Foolproof Diet (http://www.the-foolproof-diet.com/).
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Why India Has The Highest Rate of Heart Attacks In The World
Following my previous post “What Causes Heart Attacks? It’s not what you think!” one or two people have asked me why India has the biggest incidence of heart disease. The evidence suggests there are three reasons for this:
1. India has the highest number of vegetarians per capita (per thousand of population). But unlike most vegetarians in other countries, the millions of poor vegetarian rural Indians do not have the resources or knowledge to eat nutritionally or take nutritional supplements. As a result they suffer to a greater extent from a lack of B6, B12 and folic acid (B9). These vitamins are vital in keeping levels of harmful homocysteine low in the body (remember that homocysteine is at the root of heart attacks). Note: I am not anti-vegetarian. Indeed, a vegetarian or vegan diet is better for you in the sense that the avoidance of meat, fish and dairy products helps prevent disease.
2. India has one of the highest rates of milk consumption in the world. A dramatic increase in milk consumption in India in recent years has gone hand-in-hand with a dramatic rise in osteoporosis. In 2002, some 18,000 million liters of milk where produced by Operation Flood's cooperative unions each day. As a result, milk consumption in India has risen from a low of 107 grams per day in 1970 to over 220 grams per day in 2002 – people in all parts of India are now able to buy and consume dairy milk without scarcity of supply. Since 2002, the increase in milk production and consumption in India has risen enormously, growing at a rate of over 4% per year according to FAO. This makes India the fastest growth market in the world in milk production and consumption - source: Sangita Shah, India leads global milk output in 2005, report compiled from Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) statistics, and published online January 30, 2006.
3. It has been reported that Indians are at greater risk of heart disease because of a genetic mutation that affects one in 25 people in India. The mutation almost guarantees the development of the disease and Indians suffer heart attacks at an earlier age, often without prior symptoms or warning. Now researchers say India, a country with more than one billion people, will likely account for 60 per cent of heart disease patients worldwide, by 2010. A study among Asian Indian men showed that half of all heart attacks in this population occur under the age of 50 years and 25 percent under the age of 40, according to the Indian organization, Medwin Heart Foundation. But although this genetic mutation increases the risk of heart disease, you don’t get a heart attack unless the arteries are clogged. Therefore, for Indians it is particularly important to avoid arterial plaque and the best way to do this is to keep levels of homocysteine low.
As explained in The Foolproof Diet, milk consumption greatly disturbs the delicate hormonal balance in the body which is vital to good health. This leads to a state of imbalance between estrogen and progesterone (known as “estrogens dominance”) which in turn leads to elevated levels of homocysteine.
Indian milk consumption in 2010 continues to rise at astonishing rates. “India is the key milk consumer, amounting to 13 percent of the world’s total and 31 percent of milk consumption in all developing countries!” Sources: (i) Delgado, C.L., 2003, A food revolution: rising consumption of meat and milk in developing countries. J. Nutr. 133, no. 11 Suppl 2, 3907S-3910S. (ii) Barry Popkin, et al, The nutrition transition in high and low-income countries: what are the policy lessons, Presentation at Int. Assoc. of Agric, Ec. Conf., Australia, Aug. 06.
So Indians get a triple whammy: 1. A lack of vitamins B6, B12 & B9 (as a result of a poor vegetarian diet). 2. A bombardment of harmful bovine hormones (as a result of high milk consumption). 3. A genetic predisposition to heart disease. These three factors combine and conspire to give Indians high levels of homocysteine which in turn greatly increases the risk of heart attacks.
By just giving up dairy milk and using easy-to-make milk substitutes you will go a long way to keeping levels of homocysteine low, thus greatly reducing the risk of a heart attack. For easy-to-make non-dairy milk recipes see The Foolproof Diet (www.the-foolproof-diet.com). This book truly makes vital reading for every indian worldwide.
Keep well,
Russell Eaton
Thursday, June 24, 2010
What Causes Heart Attacks? It’s not what you think!
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death for both men and women worldwide (source: Robert Beaglehole, et al, 2004, The World Health Report 2004 - Changing History. World Health Organization. pp. 120–4. ISBN 92-4-156265-X).
But what causes heart attacks? Conventional wisdom (e.g. Wikipedia) generally says the following: Heart attacks are caused by intense exertion, be it psychological stress or physical exertion. Also, heart attacks can be caused by a severe infection, such as pneumonia, which in turn stresses the body leading to a heart attack. Such stress causes atherosclerotic plaques (the fat in clogged arteries) to become dislodged and this in turn can block blood flow to the heart.
So we have the following sequence of events: clogged arteries and stress combine to block blood flow to a section of heart muscle, causing a heart attack. The question screaming to be answered is: what causes clogged arteries?
Again, conventional wisdom says that clogged arteries are caused by a poor diet and lack of exercise. But this answer is much too vague. Just about any illness can be attributed to a poor diet and lack of exercise.
So the question is: what specifically causes clogged arteries? Is it cholesterol, is it a high fat diet, is it a high sugar diet, is it junk food, is it just lack of exercise?
Speak to nutritionists, doctors, and health gurus and most (but not all) will say it’s a “combination of life-style factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise and obesity” that can lead to clogged arteries (what a cop out!). This is no answer.
When you study the research into this area one word keeps popping up: homocysteine. There is overwhelming scientific evidence showing that heart disease is mainly caused by homocysteine.
The link between homocysteine and heart disease/stroke is well known to medical scientists and many studies support this. “A high level of blood serum homocysteine is a powerful risk factor for cardiovascular disease.” (Wikipedia).
The body creates excess homocysteine as a toxic byproduct, i.e. as a result of chemical reactions in the body. Elevated levels of homocysteine in the bloodstream are caused by a shortage of vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid (also known as vitamin B9). These B vitamins act to break down homocysteine so that it can be safely eliminated. So when the body has enough B6, B12 and folic acid, the toxic production of homocysteine is minimized.
It has been postulated that Lp(a) is a risk factor in heart disease. But Lp(a), also known as Lipoprotein a, has been shown to become a risk factor only in the presence of homocysteine. The Mayo Clinic states: “Homocysteine is a substance your body uses to make protein [including Lp(a)] and to build and maintain tissue. But too much homocysteine may increase your risk of stroke, certain types of heart disease, and disease of the blood vessels of the arms, legs and feet (peripheral artery disease).”
So when some health professionals talk about Lp (a) being a risk factor in heart disease they would appear to be off the mark. It is more accurate to say that elevated levels of homocysteine are the root cause of heart disease.
India has the doubtful honor of having by far the largest number (per capita) of vegetarians and the largest number (per capita) of deaths from heart disease. This is no coincidence. High levels of homocysteine cause heart disease.
Several studies also show that vegetarians are at greater risk of stroke compared to non-vegetarians. For example, Dr. C.S. Yajnik points out that most Indians are vegetarian for religious and socio-economic reasons. Because of this, he says, “there is a deficiency of Vitamin B-12 among vegetarians that has led to a rise in the incidence of stroke and heart attacks. Deficiency of vitamin B 12 increases the concentration of a chemical called homocysteine in the blood which causes blocks in arteries and veins. These blocks in turn are responsible for heart attacks and strokes."
You would think that a vegetarian diet is going to provide the body with plenty of B6, B12 and folic acid. However, this is not the case. B6 and B12 are more plentiful in animal foodstuffs. Furthermore, folic acid although available from plant foods such as green leafy vegetables, is easily destroyed in cooking. As a consequence, vegetarians can often suffer from a shortage of B6, B12 and folic acid and consequent raised levels of homocysteine.
Furthermore, it is now known that estrogen dominance promotes homocysteine. What happens is that the B vitamins get used up trying to neutralize (break down) the excess estrogen in the liver. As a result, less B vitamins are available for breaking down homocysteine. Elevated levels of homocysteine then act to promote clogged arteries.
And what are the two main dietary causes of estrogen dominance? The answer is simple: dairy and soy products. By just eliminating dairy milk products and soy products from your diet you greatly reduce harmful estrogen dominance. This in turn greatly reduces elevated levels of homocysteine.
For the evidence that dairy and soy products are the two greatest dietary causes of estrogen dominance see The Foolproof Diet (www.the-foolproof-diet.com). Do a search on google for “estrogen dominance” and you will find lots of information explaining why estrogen dominance is so harmful to good health.
A 21 year study of statistics by the OECD shows that homocysteine is responsible for clogged arteries.
“Homocysteine does this by injuring the lining of the coronary arteries and by thickening of the wall of the arteries, regardless of the level of cholesterol in the blood. Homocysteine interferes with the way cells use oxygen, resulting in a build-up of damaging free radicals. These reactive chemical forms can oxidize low-density lipoproteins (LDL), producing oxycholesterols and oxidized fats and proteins within developing plaques. Also, homocysteine stimulates growth of smooth muscle cells, causing deposition of extracellular matrix and collagen, which causes a thickening and hardening of artery walls.” (source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, O.E.C.D., Food Consumption Statistics 1955-1971. Paris, 1973).
So what causes heart attacks? To blame factors such as obesity or a poor lifestyle is a complete cop out and reflects the ignorance of the person saying this. Heart attacks are mainly caused by elevated levels of homocysteine in the body. And how can you best avoid harmful homocysteine? By simply avoiding dairy and soy products you will go a long way to reducing levels of homocysteine in the body and greatly reduce the risk of clogged arteries and heart attacks.
For foolproof evidence that levels of homocysteine can be greatly reduced by simply avoiding dairy milk and soy foods, see The Foolproof Diet (www.the-foolproof-diet.com).
Keep well,
Russell Eaton
Friday, May 28, 2010
The Big Elephant In The Room
MAP stands for “Mycobacterium Avium subspecies Paratuberculosis”. Here is an extract from an article published in the Los Angeles Times:
Milk May Be the Carrier of Crohn's
If, as some scientists are now convinced, Crohn's disease is caused by a microorganism, the question becomes: How is it transmitted?
The shocking answer, they say, is through that most sacrosanct of beverages--milk. The microorganism under suspicion, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, or MAP, is common in U.S. dairy herds, activists argue, and it is not killed by conventional pasteurization.
Transmission of MAP from infected cattle to humans through milk could explain much about the occurrence of Crohn's, including its geographical distribution and rising incidence.
The purported spread of MAP through milk "constitutes a public health disaster of tragic proportions," said Dr. John Hermon-Taylor of St. George's Hospital Medical Center in London.
Both the U.S. dairy industry and the Food and Drug Administration argue vehemently that the U.S. milk supply is safe and that pasteurization is effective at removing any potential threats.
Source: LA Times, September 18, 2000, Home Edition, Section: Health, Page: S-1.
In recent years the incidence of MAP in pasteurized milk has been getting worse, not better. Here is an extract of a recent study on the incidence of MAP in milk:
MAP causes Johne’s disease in ruminants, a chronic enteritis evocative of human inflammatory bowel disease. In industrialized countries MAP has been cultured from pasteurized milk, compounding the increasing concern that MAP may be zoonotic. We corroborate the presence of viable MAP in the food chain reported from industrialized countries. With the increasing concern that MAP may be zoonotic, these findings have major implications for healthcare in India.
Source: Presence of MAP in commercial pasteurized milk, and milk products in India (Shankar H, et al, International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2010 Feb;14(2):e121-6. Epub 2009 Jul 2).
But wait, from the horses mouth there’s more :-). Even the British Food Standards Agency (which includes dairy farmers on its board of directors) admits that “MAP is found in approximately 2% of pasteurized milk on retail sale”.
As if that’s not enough, here is a letter just posted to the Daily Mail newspaper in the UK
I strongly advise that pregnant women should be extremely careful drinking any milk, raw or pasteurised. This advice to drink more milk by health officials led to my wife contacting Crohns Disease & Ulcerated Colitis, that very nearly KILLED her. Until the Dairy Industry can be bothered to get MAP- Mycobacterium sub species avium Paratuberculosis out of milk, it is NOT SAFE to drink for many. MAP is Zoonotic, animal to human, survives pasteurisation, cannot be made by human, comes from outside source, & the cow who suffers with Johnes disease ( Crohns in humans ) passes this MAP bacteria to humans via it's milk & faeces which also go into water supplies, also infecting other animals in the environment. MAP can travel the birth cord to the unborn as it can cow to calf. Cattle with MAP are now to be treated with a new dna anti-map vaccine which is being developed for humans at Kings College Hospital with Prof John Hermon Taylor backed by my campaign - The Chronic Crohns Campaign UK.
Source: Letter to The Daily Mail, by Tim Page, Wadhurst, East Sussex, United Kingdom, 27/5/2010.
How much longer will the big elephant be ignored?
Keep well,
Russell Eaton
P.S. For the world’s best collection of non-dairy milk recipes see The Foolproof Diet (www.the-foolproof-diet.com).
Friday, May 14, 2010
Save money - make your own super nutritious almond milk
Milk made from almonds has a delicious light nutty flavor, and it makes a refreshing drink straight from the fridge. It can be used just like regular milk, or as a ‘non-dairy milk’ in just about any recipe.
Almonds without their shells can be stored for up to 1 month if kept airtight in a cool dark dry place, or up to a maximum of 12 months in the refrigerator if kept air tight. Almonds can be frozen for 2-3 years depending on temperature.
Almonds are particularly nutritious in protein, iron, vitamin E, zinc, and vitamin B2. They also have valuable amounts of magnesium, potassium, and folate (folic acid). Among the nut family, almonds provide the richest source of calcium.
Almonds contain more magnesium than oatmeal or even spinach, making a valuable contribution to good health: magnesium is needed for healthy bones, and for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. Magnesium helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, and is involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. One ounce (about 23 almonds) provides more than a quarter of your daily needs for magnesium.
For weight-conscious people, almond milk is low-fat and low-carbohydrate, and is therefore ideal as part of any weight loss plan. A study carried out by Dr. Gary Fraser (City of Hope Medical Center and Loma Linda University in California) found that eating a modest quantity of almonds daily (approximately 2 ounces or 40 almonds) resulted in increased unsaturated fats intake with no significant changes in body weight.
Making almond milk is quick and easy. It is best to soak the almonds overnight in purified or boiled water (the water must be cold when used for making milk). Then strain, dab nuts dry and freeze. The almonds nuts are then ready for making milk whenever you like. Using soaked/frozen nuts provides a much creamier and more nutritious milk than using dried nuts without first soaking.
To make milk, blend one part of nuts to five parts water. Always use the purest drinking water for making milk; otherwise the milk will spoil quickly. Add a teaspoon of sugar for taste. Better still add a teaspoon of Xylitol (a natural sweetener that protects your teeth and gums). Never use warm or hot water when making milk as this will greatly reduce the shelf life of the milk in the fridge.
Blend the milk for 1 – 2 minutes. There is no need to strain the milk after blending; just store in an airtight container in the fridge and use like regular milk. Shake or stir before serving. It will typically stay fresh for 4-5 days just like regular milk.
For more super delicious and nutritious milk-making recipes see The Foolproof Diet (http://www.the-foolproof-diet.com/).
Keep well,
Russell Eaton
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Maple Syrup Is Your Tasty Food That Can Fight Cancer and Diabetes
Are you looking for a natural solution to reduce the risk of diabetes and slow down the growth of cancer cells? Your search is probably over because recent studies have shown that maple syrup holds the key to these problems.
US researchers have found that maple syrup has the ability to substantially decrease the risk of diabetes. The syrup also showed great potential in slowing down the growth of cancerous cells.
Maple syrup has thirteen active antioxidant substances. These antioxidants were previously unknown but were discovered only recently. Because of these antioxidants, researchers have firmed up that maple syrup has a great potential in fighting cancer growth, diabetes, and infections.
Food for Diabetic Sufferers
Researchers found out that maple syrup contains phytohormone and abscisic acid. This acid is the primary agent that serves as an effective defense against diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The acid releases insulin through the pancreatic cells and can enhance the increased sensitivity of the fat cells to insulin. These actions proved that claims that maple syrup is very effective in controlling diabetes.
The studies were brought before the American Chemical Society in San Francisco. The results were reviewed by experts and other researchers.
Maple Syrup as Your Best Chance against Cancer
A study punished in the Journal of Medicinal Food showed that maple syrup can significantly inhibit the growth of cancerous cells. This study was conducted by Quebec scholars. It seeks to prove the impact of maple syrup against cancer cells.
Based on the Quebec research, the growth of cancer cells can be inhibited by maple syrup. Specifically, the syrup is very effective against brain, prostate, and lung cancer. Unfortunately, maple syrup has minimal impact against breast cancer growth.
Your Tasty Alternative to Fight Cancer and Diabetes
Maple syrup can serve as your tasty alternative in fighting cancer and diabetes. There are many anti cancer foods today like blueberries, tomatoes, broccoli, and carrots. However, recent studies have shown that maple syrup is more effective against cancer compared to other anti cancer foods.
Laboratory testing results also show that the syrup is more potent compared to the maple sap. It is also ideal to use the pure dark syrup rather than the lighter syrup. Dark syrup has high color oxidation. This is the reason why darker maple syrup should be preferred. So if you want a better alternative to fight cancer and diabetes, then your favorite maple syrup is a good option.
Reference: Journal of medicinal food. 01/02/2010; ISSN: 1557-7600, OI: 10.1089/jmf.2009.0029
This article was contributed by Sandy Harris who writes for the diabetic diet blog, her personal hobby blog focused on tips to prevent, cure and manage diabetes using healthy snacks and recipes.
Note from Russell Eaton: the glycemic index count for maple syrup is between 60 and 65 which is verging on high. Therefore diabetics should be aware of the impact that maple syrup can have on the level of glucose in the blood. This apart, maple syrup is an excellent sweetener, and indeed I recommend it in my book The Foolproof Diet (http://www.the-foolproof-diet.com/). The Foolproof Diet provides the world’s best collection of recipes for making non-dairy milk, and maple syrup is the perfect sweetening agent for these recipes.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
How To Lose Weight In A Week
Most overweight people want to know how to lose weight in a week. They are, quite rightly, desperate to lose excess weight and will grasp at anything that promises how to lose weight fast. But many of these “lose weight fast” diets are based on false promises and ill-founded opinions, and can actually be harmful and even counter-productive, leading to greater weight gain!
Here are just some of the myths and misinformation promoted by “quick weight loss” gurus:
Myth: cut calories to lose weight.
Reality: cutting calories makes the body think it must preserve fat, and so you put on weight instead of achieving weight reduction.
Myth: following set menus and eating plans can help lose weight.
Reality: most diet books and weight loss plans promote set menus of what to eat when. This never works because food preferences and lifestyles vary so much. Indeed, by following any kind of set food menus, day in day out, you are more likely to gain weight because you will either go hungry or get too bored with the monotony. Then when you give up the set menus you will quickly re-gain your weight (and more) as you go back to your old eating habits.
Myth: eating whole grain and fiber-rich foods is healthy and will help you lose weight.
Reality: whole grains are no healthier than milled grains, and do nothing to promote good health or help you lose weight. Furthermore, there is plenty of scientific evidence showing that a high-fiber diet is bad for health. Fiber robs the body of vitamins and minerals. This leads to poor nutrition, which in turn prevents safe and healthy weight loss. We do not need much fiber in our daily diets and getting enough is very easy. Exhortations to eat more fiber are counter-productive.
Myth: fruit juice is non-fattening and healthy, as part of a well-balanced diet.
Reality: drinking fruit juice is more fattening and unhealthier than just about any other kind of food. Fruit juice gives the body a blast of fructose sugar without being bound up with fiber – this goes straight to body fat giving you quick weight gain, and is much worse for health than even table sugar!
Myth: you should eat less and exercise to lose weight.
Reality: The less you eat the more fat you put on because any kind of food restriction makes the body store more fat. When you exercise more you make yourself feel more hungry and exhausted, and you end up stuffing yourself with junk food which just makes you fatter. The secret is to exercise the smart way so that you don’t feel hungry and exhausted.
Myth: drink less water so as to reduce water retention and feel less bloated.
Reality: you must drink plenty of water to lose water retention (not less!). When you drink plenty of water the body will “think” it no longer needs to retain water in body tissue, and you quickly lose excess water.
Myth: a good way to lose weight is to increase your metabolic rate so as to burn fat fast.
Reality: your heart should sink when you come across such ridiculous notions. The metabolic rate is nothing more than a set of many different chemical reactions inside the body. Some of these chemical reactions work faster than others at different times of the day or night depending on a multitude of factors. In fact, fatter people tend to have higher metabolic rates (i.e. burn fat/energy faster) because of their higher body mass. To use (or attempt to control) the metabolic rate as a way of losing weight is like using a table-tennis ball to play tennis (impossible!).
How to lose weight in a week is a question many people ask. And yes, you can lose weight in a week, safely, quickly and easily if you know how. But 99% percent of dietary advice about how to lose weight quickly is completely wrong. Worse still, if you don’t do it right, any attempts to lose weight quickly will re-bound and you will end up putting on more weight than before.
You definitely don’t want to lose weight in a week and then put it all back the week after. Yo-yo dieting ruins your health and prevents weight loss. You want to lose weight quickly, but permanently. All human beings are the same biologically. Therefore there can only be one best way for a human being to lose weight quickly, safely, and permanently.
In recent years medical research into weight loss has made exciting discoveries and now there is a kind of consensus on the best way for any human being to lose weight safely and quickly. A key point that has come out of this research is that you gain weight when your hormones are out of balance (not functioning properly) and you lose excess weight when your hormones are in balance.
What makes your hormones go out of balance? Several factors, but by far the biggest factor is the diet. And dairy milk products are increasingly being seen as the biggest dietary cause of hormonal disharmony. It's not the fat in milk that causes weight gain, its the havoc caused by dairy milk to your hormones that causes weight gain.
Keep well,
Russell Eaton
How to lose weight in a week
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Best Way To Make Milk as Substitute for Dairy Milk
For general every day milk consumption Coconut Milk Powder is best avoided, except for very occasional use. It is manufactured through a spray drying process of raw unsweetened coconut cream. This is very different from the more widely available and coarser desiccated coconut which is made by machines that merely grate the white coconut meat.
The process of spray drying has the effect of mixing oxygen (from the air) into the powder, under very hot drying conditions. As a result, Coconut Milk Powder is “oxidized” and will go rancid quite quickly if not refrigerated and consumed within one or two days. This process also has the effect of increasing nitrate levels in powdered milk, whether dairy or coconut. High levels of nitrates can increase the risk of cancer.
Many people would like to have a good alternative to dairy milk. At the very least, most people would like to have more of a choice when it comes to milk. Dairy milk is known to be fattening and for some people lactose intolerance is a real issue. You can, of course, buy soy milk but this also has its drawbacks.
Soy milk is generally more expensive than dairy milk and may not be so widely available. Furthermore, soy milk can also be quite fattening if you opt for the sweetened variety. If you opt for the unsweetened variety, most people dislike the taste. The biggest problem with soy milk is that it contains genistein, a harmful hormone that is causing increasing concern among scientists.
Genistein can increase the risk of cancer in a person who regularly consumes soy milk. Genistein does this by making body cells divide and multiply. The U.S National Cancer Institute says that genistein “disrupts signal transduction between cells and induces cell differentiation (i.e. cell multiplication)”.
Unfortunately the National Cancer Institute makes no reference to soy milk in it’s fact sheets. But there are several studies showing that soy milk consumption is increasingly being linked with cancer. To see some of this research simply do an internet search for “soy milk cancer” (without the quotation marks).
So what kind of milk is good to consume? Simply switch to coconut milk. The latest scientific research shows that coconuts are in fact not fattening! The molecular structure of coconut fat is different – it gets stored as energy instead of as body fat. This gives you energy and helps you lose weight and stay slim.
Coconut milk is very nutritious and absolutely delicious. Do not confuse canned “coconut milk” as sold in supermarkets with “home-made coconut milk”. The former is a condiment, the latter is a genuine dairy milk substitute. You would use canned coconut milk as part of a recipe to make home-made coconut milk. It can be made quickly and easily in just a minute or so, and then be stored in the fridge just like regular milk.
Home-made coconut milk is non-fattening, nutritious, and absolutely delicious. Best of all it is far, far superior in quality compared to any kind of commercial milk, whether dairy or non-dairy. Up until now, making coconut milk at home has been a complicated and time-consuming affair. But now at last you can make coconut milk at home quickly and easily, saving time and money.
To find out how to make coconut milk quickly and easily, saving time and money, download the free ebook The Incredible Coconut Book. This book shows exactly how to make delicious and nutritious milk that is dairy-free and soy-free. Download it now – go to The Incredible Coconut Book.
Keep well,
Russell Eaton
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Skim and Semi-Skim Milk is Worst For Cancer
Health conscious people often opt for skim or semi-skim milk thinking it is better for health. Unfortunately, this is proving to be a bad choice when it comes to cancer. There is increasing evidence that dairy milk significantly increases the risk of various types of cancer, but this risk is greater with skim milk.
There are several studies showing that skim milk significantly increases the risk of cancer. Here are just a few of these studies:
• Skim milk, but not other dairy foods, was associated with increased risk of advanced prostate cancer (Yikyung Park, et al, American Journal of Epidemiology 2007 166(11):1270-1279).
• In particular, increasing consumption of skim milk was associated with a greater risk of ovarian cancer (Lawrence H. Kushi, et al, Prospective Study of Diet and Ovarian Cancer, American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 149, No. 1: 21-31).
• Drinking skim or low fat milk increases the overall risk of getting any type of ovarian cancer by 44%. It increases the risk for the most common type of ovarian cancer (called serous tumors) by 66%. Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among American women. (Peggy Peck commenting on a Harvard Medical School study of 80,000 nurses showing that women who drink two or more glasses of milk a day have a 44% higher risk of getting ovarian cancer than women who rarely drink milk).
• Low-fat and skim milk were associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer (Larsson SC, et al, Milk and lactose intakes and ovarian cancer risk in the Swedish Mammography Cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004; 30(5): 1353-7).
How does skim milk cause cancer? The answer is that skim milk provides a particular cocktail of ingredients that encourage body cells to mutate and grow. All kinds of dairy milk are high in IGF-1 hormones. When you consume milk, the excess IGF-1 increases the risk of cancer in humans.
But IGF-1 needs the presence of estrogen metabolites to cause cell mutation and growth. Skim milk provides these harmful estrogen metabolites to a greater extent than other types of milk. This was confirmed in a recent May 2009 study that assessed commercial milk (D. Farlow, et al, Quantitative measurement of endogenous estrogen metabolites, risk-factors for development of breast cancer, in commercial milk products, Chromatography B, Volume 877, Issue 13, Pages 1327-1334). The study concluded that:
“Overall, skim milk had the smallest quantity of free estrogens. However, the conjugated type that dominated skim milk’s profile, 2-hydroxyestrone, is known to be one of the most reactive and potentially risky of the metabolites. That metabolite’s concentration in fat-free milk was second only to buttermilk’s. Estrogen can amplify the cell-proliferating effects seen with IGF-1.”
There are many studies showing that IGF-1 in dairy milk increases the risk of cancer. Here are just a few of those studies:
• The tiny homogenized fat globules carry IGF-1 from milk through the stomach and gut into the bloodstream where they can circulate through the body to exert powerful growth effects. This IGF-1 allows cancers to grow. (Robert Cohen, Milk – The Deadly Poison, Argus Publishing, January 1, 1998, ISBN: 0965919609).
• IGF-1 produces a 10-fold increase in RNA levels of cancer cells. IGF-1 appears to be a critical component in cellular proliferation. (Experimental Cell Research, March, 1994, 211-1).
• IGF-1 accelerates the growth of breast cancer cells. (Science, Vol. 259, January 29, 1993).
• IGF-1 is widely involved in human carcinogenesis. A significant association between IGF-1 and an increased risk of lung, colon, prostate, and pre-menopausal breast cancer has recently been reported. (International Journal of Cancer, 2000 Aug. 87:4).
• Several studies have shown powerful associations between IGF-1 and the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer, and pre-menopausal breast cancer. (Smith, George Davey, et al. Cancer and insulin-like growth factor-I. British Medical Journal, Vol. 321, October 7, 2000, pp. 847-48).
• IGF-1 can completely take the place of growth hormone in breast tissue….and trigger cell growth without an outside cue. Estrogen can amplify the cell-proliferating effects seen with IGF-1, both in the breast and prostate. Excess of IGF-1 …. puts one at risk for breast cancer.’ (Kleinberg, David L., et al, Growth Hormone and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I in the Transition from Normal Mammary Development to Preneoplastic Mammary Lesions, Endocr. Rev., Feb 2009; 30: 51 – 74).
Clearly, to minimize the risks of cancer, the solution is to switch to a non-dairy milk. A free ebook is available showing how to make non-dairy coconut milk and yogurt quickly and easily. Coconut milk makes an ideal substitute for dairy milk because it is non-fattening, nutritious, and absolutely delicious. Claim you free copy now by downloading The Incredible Coconut Book.
Keep Well
Russell Eaton
http://www.the-coconut.com/
Thursday, December 24, 2009
From time to time I get blog posts that extol the wonders of raw milk. Some people seem to believe that raw milk is actually good for you. That if the cow is fed on perfect green pastures, that if everything is clean and disease free, that if the cow is not given medication, etc., etc. Quite apart from the fact that raw milk can never be commercialized (because it cannot be scaled up), the key point to remember is this: raw milk, however perfectly produced, contains just as much IGF-1 as any other kind of milk.
As fully explained in The Foolproof Diet (www.the-foolproof-diet.com) IGF-1 is bad news. This growth hormone, when consumed in milk, provides the human body with excess IGF-1 that greatly increases the risk of cancer. Here are just some of the many studies on this subject:
IGF-1 is critically involved in the aberrant growth of human breast cancer cells. (Journal of the National Institute of Health, 1991-3).
We manufacture IGF-1 in our bodies. We also consume IGF-1 in pasteurized, homogenized dairy milk. The tiny homogenized fat globules carry IGF-1 from milk through the stomach and gut into the bloodstream where they can circulate through the body to exert powerful growth effects. This IGF-1 allows cancers to grow. (Robert Cohen, Milk – The Deadly Poison, Argus Publishing, January 1, 1998, ISBN: 0965919609).
Estrogen regulation of IGF-1 in breast cancer cells would support the hypothesis that IGF-1 has a regulatory function in breast cancer. (Molecular Cell Endocrinology, March, 99-2).
IGF-1 is a potent growth factor for cellular proliferation in the human breast carcinoma cell line. (Journal of Cellular Physiology, January, 1994, 158-1).
IGF-1 plays a major role in breast cancer cell growth. (European Journal of Cancer, 29A - 16, 1993).
IGF-1 produces a 10-fold increase in RNA levels of cancer cells. IGF-1 appears to be a critical component in cellular proliferation. (Experimental Cell Research, March, 1994, 211-1).
IGF-1 accelerates the growth of breast cancer cells. (Science, Vol. 259, January 29, 1993).
A strong positive association was observed between IGF-1 levels and prostate cancer risk. (Science, vol. 279, January 23, 1998).
IGF-1 can affect the proliferation of breast epithelial cells, and is thought to have a role in breast cancer. (The Lancet, vol. 351, May 9, 1998).
IGF-1 strongly stimulates the proliferation of a variety of cancer cells, including those from lung cancer. (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol. 91, no. 2, January 20, 1999).
IGF-1 is widely involved in human carcinogenesis. A significant association between IGF-1 and an increased risk of lung, colon, prostate, and pre-menopausal breast cancer has recently been reported. (International Journal of Cancer, 2000 Aug. 87:4).
A raised level of IGF-1 has been associated with breast cancer for women and prostate cancer for men. (Rosemary Hoskins, Food Fact no. 2, A Safe Alliance Publication, 1998).
By continuing to drink [dairy] milk, one delivers the most powerful growth hormone in nature to his or her body (IGF-I). That hormone has been called the key factor in the growth of breast, prostate, and lung cancer. At the very best, or worst, this powerful growth hormone instructs all cells to grow. This might be the reason that Americans are so overweight. At the very worst, this hormone does not discriminate. When it finds an existing cancer, usually controlled by our immune systems, the message it delivers is: GROW! (Robert Cohen, Milk – The Deadly Poison, Argus Publishing, January 1, 1998, ISBN: 0965919609).
Several studies have shown powerful associations between IGF-1 and the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer, and pre-menopausal breast cancer. As a matter of fact, recent evidence indicates that high IGF-1 levels may be more important than other previously reported risk factors for cancer. The pharmaceutical industry is well aware of the increasingly clear association between IGF-1 and cancer. Chemotherapeutic drugs are being developed to block the activity of IGF-1 or enhance the activity of IGF binding protein-3. (Smith, George Davey, et al. Cancer and insulin-like growth factor-I. British Medical Journal, Vol. 321, October 7, 2000, pp. 847-48).
IGF-1 has been called ‘plug and play cancer fuel’ by many. Here is what Dr. Sarfaraz K. Niazi (PhD pharmaceutical sciences, University of Illinois, USA) has to say regarding hormones in milk:
‘Some dairy milk samples also show noticeable concentration of a growth hormone given to cows to promote their growth and increase milk production. Being fat-soluble, hormones are more concentrated in the cream. Hormones in milk are a serious threat to health because even at very low concentrations, they can cause severe imbalance of our physiologic system. They have also been implicated in many types of cancers and decreased resistance to infections and diseases. Though prohibited in some parts of the world, unscrupulous farmers continue to use hormones. Whatever a cow eats shows up in her udders. The grass, silage, straw, cereals, roots, tubers, legumes, oilseeds, oilcakes, and milk by-products, which contain a variety of chemical additives, make the diet of modern cow. The diet of cows is rife with pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides and traces of heavy metals along with chemicals from spoilage. With each glass of milk shoved down little Jane's or Johnny's throat, comes the increased chance of their developing atherosclerosis, cancer, autoimmune diseases, infections and a host of other diseases still unidentified, when they reach adulthood.’
Levels of IGF-1 ….have been associated with prostate cancer risk in at least three prospective studies. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have provided abundant evidence that IGF-1 can promote prostate carcinogens, including the observations that IGF-1 administration induces prostate growth in the rat, and that prostate tumor development in transgenic mouse models is accompanied by elevations in IGF-1 expression. Sources: (i) Gann, Peter H., MD, ScD, Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer, Rev Urol. 2002; 4(Suppl 5): S3–S10. PMCID: PMC1476014. (ii) Pollak M. Insulin-like growth factors and prostate cancer. Epidemiol Rev. 2001;23:59–66.
‘We showed that IGF-1 can completely take the place of growth hormone” in breast tissue. In other words, IGF-1 can trigger cell growth without an outside cue. Estrogen can amplify the cell-proliferating effects seen with IGF-1, both in the breast and prostate. Excess of IGF-1 or estrogen occurs in the presence of the other which can cause breast hyperplasia (cell division on overdrive) putting one at risk for breast cancer.’ (Kleinberg, David L., et al, Growth Hormone and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I in the Transition from Normal Mammary Development to Preneoplastic Mammary Lesions, Endocr. Rev., Feb 2009; 30: 51 – 74).
Keep well,
Russell Eaton
www.the-foolproof-diet.com
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Well now you can give up dairy milk and still enjoy everything that you are used to eating with milk. Simply switch to coconut milk. The latest scientific research shows that coconuts are in fact not fattening! The molecular structure of coconut fat is different – it gets stored as energy instead of as body fat. This gives you energy and helps you lose weight and stay slim. For the evidence see www.the-coconut.com.
Coconut milk is very nutritious and absolutely delicious. Do not confuse canned coconut milk with home-made coconut milk. The former is a condiment, the latter is a genuine dairy milk substitute. For the first time ever, The Incredible Coconut Milk Book (www.the-coconut.com) shows how to make wonderful coconut milk that makes a perfect substitute for dairy milk.
Home-made coconut milk is non-fattening, nutritious, and absolutely delicious. Best of all it is far, far superior in quality compared to any kind of commercial milk, whether dairy or non-dairy. Up until now, making coconut milk at home has been a complicated and time-consuming affair. But now at last you can make coconut milk at home quickly and easily, saving time and money.
As a visitor to this blog I am pleased to offer you a free copy of The Incredible Coconut Book which you can download right now. Just go to www.the-coconut.com and download the book straight away. This book shows how to make irresistible coconut milk, coconut yogurt, coconut ice-cream, and coconut chocolate mousse – all non-fattening, all super nutritious, and all truly delicious. You won’t have to break open a coconut to make these recipes! The recipe ingredients are easily purchased from supermarkets just about anywhere in the world, so don’t wait, go now to www.the-coconut.com.
Russell Eaton
www.the-coconut.com
Saturday, July 18, 2009
New research shows milk is poor source of calcium
(This article taken from Mercola.com)
A recent study claims that young adults are not drinking enough milk -- at least according to press reports on the matter. But according to the study’s lead author Nicole Larson, the focus on the study was on calcium.
The words "milk" and "calcium" are often used interchangeably in the popular press. But while milk is a calcium source, no standard other than that of the National Dairy Council considers it the best calcium source.
The suggestion that you need to drink three glasses of the secretion of a cow's mammary glands in order to be healthy is a bit outrageous and doesn't fit the human evolutionary profile. In fact, most humans around the world cannot easily digest cow milk.
Yogurt has more calcium than milk and is easier to digest. Collards and other greens also have about as much or more calcium than milk by the cup. Greens, unlike milk, have the added benefit of vitamin K, also necessary for strong bones. Sesame is also very high in calcium.
When you measure calcium by cup of food product, milk is high on the list. When you view it by calorie, though, milk is at the bottom. A hundred calories of turnip greens have over three times as much calcium as 100 calories of whole milk.
For more information about milk go to http://www.about-milk.info/
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Got Milk PMS commercials – the murky truth
In March 2004 the Got Milk campaign was launched in the United Kingdom. In the UK like the US, milk consumption has suffered at the hands of the increase in soda drinks. The move into the UK and other countries is an attempt to reverse the process.
Typically, the ‘got milk’ ads show celebrities with a "milk moustache" and exhort you to drink milk to ensure good health. With promises of strong bones, lower blood pressure, and better sports performance, these milk moustache ads are everywhere, providing millions of people with what unfortunately has become a primary source of nutrition information.
But instead of helping, these ads are confusing and miss-educating consumers according to the PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, USA).
Some Got Milk commercials make reference to PMS in women, implying that the consumption of dairy milk is somehow helpful in alleviating Pre-Menstrual Symptoms. This is, of course, complete nonsense. If anything, dairy milk makes you feel bloated and less healthy and can therefore aggravate PMS.
The Got Milk PMS commercials were prompted by a study carried out by Dr. Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson of the University of Massachusetts and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. This study showed a "significantly lower risk of developing PMS in women with intakes of vitamin D and calcium from food sources.”
But it does not follow that dairy milk is a good source of vitamin D and calcium. On the contrary, milk is a bad source of these nutrients, and there is no research showing that milk alleviates PMS.
Most of the milk moustache ads that make health claims are false and misleading, and in violation of federal advertising guidelines, according to a PCRM petition filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in July 2000.
In its petition, PCRM requested an investigation of milk moustache ads, holding them to be scientifically unsubstantiated, purposefully deceptive, and harmful advertising. PCRM's petition has been referred by the FTC to the USDA for investigation because—believe it or not—it is actually the USDA that is promulgating these ads on behalf of the private dairy industry.
To find out more about this subject please go to Got Milk PMS Commercials. Here you will also discover a sensational report showing that organic dairy milk is much worse for health compared to regular pasteurized milk. Also check out http://www.about-milk.info/ for other fascinating facts.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Organic milk less healthy than regular milk
This may come as a shock to many people and families who pay extra money for organic milk in the belief that it is better than regular milk. Sometimes the extra cost of organic milk can be nearly double the price of regular milk.
But how is it possible that organic pasteurized milk sold in supermarkets is actually worse for health than the equivalent nonorganic variety? One may argue that organic milk may not be much better than regular milk. But it’s quite another matter to say that organic milk is actually much worse for you than regular milk.
Yet all the latest evidence is showing precisely this. Furthermore, UHT milk (Long Life milk) is shown to be even worse for health than organic milk. Astoundingly, about 80% of organic milk sold in the world today is UHT milk.
In some countries, such as Spain, Belgium, and France over 95% of all milk sales are UHT. In other countries, sales of UHT are growing fast, ranging from 15% to 95%. The milk industry likes this because the longer shelf life of UHT makes the supply chain from cow to consumer more economical. This also has government support – there is a worldwide trend to switch up to 90% of all milk over to UHT by 2020 in the belief that this is better for the environment (less refrigeration means lower global warming emissions).
According to a study by Prof. Rusty Bishop, University of Wisconsin, even in countries such as the USA and Canada, where UHT sales are less than half of all milk sales, “over 80% of organic milk is sold as organic UHT milk.”
UHT milk (both organic and nonorganic) is significantly worse for health for a variety of reasons. It is known, for example, that UHT is much higher in damaged whey proteins compared to regular milk – this in turn is a major cause of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. There is no shortage of evidence to support this.
In a study published in January 2007 in the American Journal of Epidemiology a clear link was found between Parkinson’s Disease and milk. The diets of over 130,000 people were analysed and it was found that those who consumed the most cow’s milk had a massive 70 percent higher risk of getting the disease.
But why is organic milk worse than regular milk? Isn’t organic milk meant to have less pesticide residues and no antibiotics? Isn’t organic milk meant to be better for the environment and kinder to cows? When the evidence is examined, an astonishing picture emerges. Organic milk has no less pesticides and antibiotics than regular milk. Furthermore, the vast majority of organic cows (in the world generally) are treated no better than nonorganic cows. They are kept in confined spaces in cow sheds most of their lives, and the belief that organic cows are allowed out to pasture most of the time is very much a myth.
When it comes to the environment, the latest research is clearly showing that organic milk is significantly worse for the environment in terms of energy consumption and global warming emissions. This is so because the supply chain for organic milk requires greater energy expenditure (pint for pint) in terms of transportation, warehousing and distribution. Organic milk, which is mostly produced by smaller farms, simply cannot match the economies of scale that apply to regular pasteurized milk.
To find out why organic milk and UHT milk are so much worse for health (compared to regular milk) see Organic Milk Myth. Other resources can be found at http://www.about-milk.info/.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
How to maximize your health and lifespan
Science is advancing at such a pace that centenarians are becoming common place. Living to 120 or even 140 years is now very feasible for people who are today under 70. You want to be healthy to enjoy life right now, and you want to remain healthy for as long as you live. What follows is the very latest advice from longevity experts. Probably the most important advice is normalizing your insulin and level. There is no way you will age slowly or be healthy with an elevated insulin level.
- Keep your insulin levels low. Elevated insulin levels are one of your key physical influences that contribute to rapid aging, and there is no question that optimizing your insulin levels is an absolute necessity if you want to slow down your aging process. Consuming sugar and grains will increase your insulin level, which is the equivalent of slamming your foot on your aging accelerator. There’s simply no more potent way to accelerate aging than eating sugar and grains.
- Minimize your stress. Understand what factors in your life are causing harmful stress and deal with them. Stress causes the body to produce cortisol; this in turn harms your body and your health in many different ways. Stress reduction is one of the biggest factors in healthy longetivity. Avoiding stress includes getting enough sleep.
- Eat a healthy diet based on natural whole foods: salads, vegetables, fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and pulses of all types. Avoid or minimize the consumption of animal products (meat, fish, dairy). Avoid dairy milk, refined grain foods, sugar, saturated fat, and salt. Become familiar with the Glycemic Index chart of foods and use this as your guide to all future eating. For Glycemic Index information go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index. Enter Glycemic Index chart in Google and you will find plenty of free charts.
- Get enough daily omega-3 oil. This is absolutely vital for both physical and mental well-being. Most people consume omega-3 and omega-6 oils in a ratio of 1:15 (typical junk food diet). This is terrible for health. Ideally you want to consume omega-3 and omega-6 in equal amounts, in a ratio of 1:1 (certainly not more than a ratio of 1:4). Don’t worry about getting the ratio exactly right, just focus on eating omega-3 rich foods and the right ratio will just fall into place. Omega-3 rich foods include the following:
- Flax seed oil — contains four times more omega-3 than omega-6.
- Perilla seed oil — contains three-four more omega-3 than omega-6.
- Hemp oil — contains four times more omega-6 to omega-3.
- Pumpkin oil — contains 3 times more omega-6 than omega-3.
- Walnut oil – contains ten times more omega-6 than omega-3.
- Safflower — has no omega-3 and 75% of its oil is omega-6, so best avoided..
- Sunflower — has no omega-3 and 65% of its oil is omega-6, so best avoided.
- Wheat germ oil — slight amount of omega-3 but mostly omega-6, so best avoided.
- Olive oil — no omega-3 and 8% of its oil is omega-6. But olive oil contains other valuable monounsaturated oils and should therefore be part of your diet..
- Corn oil — contains mostly omega-6, so best avoided.
- Flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and most other edible seeds are all high in omega-3.
- Walnuts are high in omega-3 but and many other nuts also contain omega-3.
- All kinds of dark green vegetables have omega-3 in varying degrees.
- Soy products, and some other kinds of beans and pulses have omega-3.
- Omega-3 oil supplements are widely available from health food stores. I take a full tablespoon of omega-3 oil every morning before breakfast.
Note: This will be controversial, but it is best to avoid eating sea-food as a source of omega-3 oil. This is because sea-food just about everywhere is heavily polluted. The body of a fish acts as a filter – the flesh accumulates pollutants (including heavy metals) from the high volumes of sea water that filter through the fish each day. Furthermore, seafood is rich in a kind of protein that is not easily digested by humans, and the undigested protein is harmful to good health. It is a myth that fish in the middle of the ocean are unpolluted – sea currents pollute sea water everywhere.
- Get your antioxidants from foods. Antioxidants have been shown to have anti-aging effects. Good sources include blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, beans, and artichokes.
- Switch to coconut oil. Another excellent anti-aging food is coconut oil. In fact, it’s doubly beneficial because it can be both eaten and applied directly to your skin. Coconut oil can be used in place of other oils, margarine, butter, or shortening, and can be used for all your cooking needs. It can help you lose weight, or maintain your already good weight, reduce your risk of heart disease, and lower your cholesterol, among other things. YOu can also make coconut milk as an excellent alternative to milk. For a recipe on how to make coconut milk see The Milk Imperative.
- Get your resveratrol naturally. Resveratrol is one of the forerunners in the anti-aging pill race, but more than likely, by the time they’ve manipulated it into a synthetic pill, it won’t be healthy for you. Although resveratrol is the antioxidant found in red wine, I can’t recommend drinking wine in the hopes of extending your life because alcohol in excess is a neurotoxin that can poison your brain and harm your body’s delicate hormonal balance. Instead, get your resveratrol from natural sources, such as whole grape skins and seeds, raspberries, mulberries, and peanuts. Check ‘resveratrol’ in google.
- Get plenty of exercise. Studies repeatedly show that regular, moderate-to-vigorous exercise can help prevent or delay your onset of hypertension, obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, and the falls that lead to hip fracture. Although a lifetime of regular exercise is ideal, it’s never too late to start. It’s been shown that even individuals in their 70’s can substantially increase both strength and endurance with exercise.
- Avoid as many chemicals, toxins, and pollutants as possible. This includes tossing out your toxic household cleaners, soaps, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, lawn pesticides, and insecticides, just to name a few, and replacing them with non-toxic alternatives.
- Avoid pharmaceutical drugs (unless adamantly prescribed). Pharmaceutical drugs kill thousands of people prematurely every year – as an expected side effect of the action of the drug. And, if you adhere to a healthy lifestyle, you most likely will never need any of them in the first place.
There is no quick fix when it comes to life extension – no pill and no magic fountain. While there are certainly some exceptions – some centenarians do little in the way of healthy eating or exercise -- for most of us, living a healthy life well into our 100’s will take some dedication to making healthy lifestyle changes, and it's up to you to decide if it’s worth it.
All the best for 2008,
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