Inflammatory Bread

December 12, 2012 by 1 Comment

Though there’s been an explosion in the amount of research on the harmful effects of gluten, gliadin, and wheat in general, many still struggle to understand what’s going on, how many illnesses, reactions, and diseases might be caused by these substances, and how inadequate the testing is.

Gluten and gliadin (and their many different forms) are proteins present in a variety of grains.  The issues with these proteins have not developed randomly. People are not reacting negatively to gluten and gliadin because of environmental changes or because of genetic changes within their bodies.  These reactions are a result of an agriculture business model which no longer focuses on health but rather on maximizing production leading to more bushels per acre, and crops more resistant to different insects, blights, and fungi. This model also produces crops which have a superficially more attractive appearance. The production process changes plants and produce from something humans used to be able to gain nourishment from into a foreign food most people should not consume. Wheat crops (and the gluten and gliadin found in them) pose a serious problem as many people cannot digest modern wheat and therefore cannot absorb nutrition from these foods. In fact those who are sensitive to American hybridized wheat can damage their small intestine walls by attempting to eat foods containing this wheat. This can cause poor absorption of the nutrients in other foods an individual consumes, and thus lead to serious nutrient deficiencies.

These issues that are occurring in America with wheat are not happening in Europe.  In fact, Americans visiting Europe often do not experience the reactions from eating wheat that they do when home in America.  Europe produces heirloom, non-hybridized, ancient wheat, the most common type being emmer.  American wheat is the predominant problem and other American grains are also causing issues.

Another issue with modern American breads and grains is that they are not properly prepared. Grains such as wheat contain phytates (phytic acid), or anti-nutrients. Phytates exist in most grains and legumes and prevent the body from absorbing magnesium. Phytates also strip calcium from the body and cause mineral deficiencies. The enzyme phytase can neutralize phytic acid and also exists in grains and legumes. The phytase in grains is activated only when the grains are soaked at a warm temperature with water, and fermented with the addition of an acidic agent such as apple cider vinegar. It is rare to find bread in an American grocery store or restaurant made with this level of preparation. The bread most likely to made traditionally is sourdough.

The following are a list of diseases, symptoms, and reactions that are possibly related to an allergy or intolerance to wheat, gluten, and/or gliadin.

Celiac Disease, fatigue, nasal congestion, headache, migraines, fluid retention, acid reflux, stomach ache, bloating, PMS symptoms, itching, eczema, achy joints, inflammation, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, candida overgrowth, hyperactivity, irritable bowel syndrome, clumsiness, slurred speech, numbness, weak muscles, oral ulcers, leaky gut, diarrhea, diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis and memory issues.

Testing for an allergy, an intolerance, or a sensitivity can be very misleading.  The medical community has not handled defining allergies well.  Allergy is defined as an immunoglobulin or histamine response to a foreign protein.  Therefore, if you respond to anything, without a histamine response (it doesn’t stuff you up, it doesn’t make your eyes tear, etc.), the doctor will tell you that you do not have an allergy to that substance, gluten.  However, there are many different ways that our bodies can react to a substance that it doesn’t like or doesn’t handle well.  So, if you have a negative response to wheat, gluten, or any food, believe your body.  The best way to gauge a possible allergy is what is considered the gold standard in medicine, the provocation/reaction.  You introduce a food.  If you have a unpleasant response, you eliminate that food for a while and see if the unpleasant response goes away.  Then, you can reintroduce the food to see if the unpleasant response comes back.  Unfortunately, with gluten, it takes an average of six weeks to two months before it is completely out of your system.  Other foods don’t take nearly as long – some just a day.  Gluten is more troublesome and has even been known to take up to five months to completely leave the body.  In addition, you’d be amazed at how many foods have some form of wheat, gluten, or gliadin in them.  The following foodstuffs that MAY contain them:

Bread, cereals, bulgur, couscous, cracker meal, seitan, chocolate milk, hard liquors, bouillon cubes, chocolate milk, ketchup, licorice, Ovaltine®, communion wafers, cream soups,croutons, dried fruit, egg substitutes, instant flavored coffees, soy sauce, salad dressings, marinades, processed meats, mustard, fried foods, french fries (coating), caramel coloring, acacia, annatto, cellulose gum, garlic salt, malt vinegar, MSG, natural flavors, onion salt, tomato paste, vegetable broth, glue on stamps, over-the-counter drugs, chewing gum, prescriptions, worcestershire sauce, pie fillings, gravies, sauces, and veggie burgers.

It can be extremely challenging to eliminate all gluten from your diet. If all of these products contain gluten, how is one supposed to avoid gluten? Not eating in restaurants is a great way to begin a non-gluten regiment as most restaurants cook with substances such as soy sauce, malt vinegar, and tomato paste. Even that innocent-looking salad might not be harmless if topped with a house dressing. However, if you feel overwhelmed by the elimination of gluten from your diet, remind yourself you are trying a six-week experiment to see if the removal of this food will improve your health and wellbeing. You are worth a six-week experiment aren’t you?

Spelt and Kamut are our more ancient grains.  Less people react to these, but they are still an issue for some people.  You simply have to give it a try and see what happens.  Barley contains gluten, but if you try an heirloom grain like Buffalo Barley found at Goldmine Natural Foods, you may discover you don’t react at all.  Others to experiment with are millet, sorghum, teff, buckwheat, wild rice, quinoa, and amaranth.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Three Types of Sweeteners, Part III: Use These

December 6, 2012 by 1 Comment

The following sweeteners taste good and don’t cause the health issues the other sweeteners, artificial and natural, can cause.  These products are natural, do not raise your blood sugar levels, do not cause digestive problems, do not contain carcinogens, and do not bring about neurological problems.  However, one does need to be careful of over-indulging with these sweeteners.  If you grow accustomed to having a large amount of sweets on a regular basis, then, when you’re away from home, you may be tempted to eat something sweetened in an unhealthy way simply because your taste buds have developed a preference for this taste. You also do not want to substitute nutrient-dense food for “healthier” sweeteners and run the risk of nutrient deficiencies.  So, keep this in mind while using the following sweeteners.

  • Yacon:  A root from Peru that is also grown in Mexico and Brazil.  It is a root which doesn’t contain starch; it’s a soluble fiber.  It contains an oligosaccharide which has a sweet taste.  Being a prebiotic, it feeds the good bacteria in your intestines.  In addition, it fights the bad bacteria.  The body cannot metabolize it and turn it into sugar so it is highly recommended by PPNF.  Yacon, because of its consistency, is a good replacement for agave nectar in recipes, including those in the popular, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, by Elana Amsterdam. Yacon can be stored for a very long time.  A five-gallon pail can be kept for ten years!
  • Luo han:  Also called momordica, is a fruit which doesn’t have sugar in it but tastes sweet.  It’s often spelled three or four different ways so be aware of that when shopping around.  Luo han is a soluble fiber.  It’s especially good for you if you have candida because, like yacon, it is a prebiotic.
  • Stevia:  Comes from the green leafy stevia rebaudiana plant.  It has two very sweet chemical complexes in it.  One set of them are called steviosides; the other set of them are called rebaudiosides.  It’s 100 – 300 times sweeter than sugar so not much is needed.  Water extraction makes for the healthiest stevia.  It comes in powder and liquid forms and both are good.  It also comes in many different flavors.  Some people have a hard time changing over to Stevia because they can taste the herb in addition to the sweetness.  As you adjust to the new flavor, it is best to use 10% of stevia and 90% of whatever sweetener you’re trying to wean yourself off of.  Then slowly increase the stevia and decrease the other until you’ve made the adjustment.  Using it in yogurt or lemonade masks the herbal taste because those foods are a bit tart anyway. We have found that the stevia with the least herbal aftertaste is Stevita and Sweet Leaf Stevia.  A large amount of stevia will cause a bitter taste so, if you need to use a lot, before it gets to the bitter point, you may want to use some yacon.  Yacon is more expensive so balancing between the two can make for a nice taste and benefit your budget.

And, finally, don’t forget fruit–an excellent sweet when used in a restrained manner.  Different varieties of fruit contain more sugars than other varieties.  Berries, tart cherries and kiwi’s contain less fructose than other fruits. We do not recommend strawberries as even organic strawberries have been so overly hybridized they no longer resemble their original form, and consequently, are very high in sugar. If you’re watching your blood sugar levels (which we all should be aware of), remember…fructose (the sugar found in fruit) does not show up on the glucose (blood sugar level) tests.  It still spikes your blood sugar like the other sugars, but, since the test only measures glucose, it will not reflect the spike in fructose levels.  Any sugar/sweetener that spikes your blood sugar level causes harm to your body.  Again, be sure you eat fruit in moderation! We prefer local, in-season produce. Fructose is the most damaging of all the natural sugars because it actually causes Type 2 Diabetes by causing insulin resistance.  It also causes a much higher fatty conglomeration in your body and therefore it is one of the major causes of fatty liver disease and high triglycerides.  Fructose can cause major health issues.  A small amount now and then can be tolerated by your body. However, our bodies are not built to handle the amount we are eating these days in response to the government’s recommendations.  Stevia, luo han, and yacon, along with the occasional use of xylitol are what we recommend to satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy and safe manner.

Filed Under: Food for Thought, Sweeteners

Three Types of Sweeteners, Part II: Rethink These

November 29, 2012 by 1 Comment

There are sweeteners considered “natural” because they are processed directly from naturally occurring plants such as sugar from sugar cane and maple syrup from the maple tree.  Though these sweeteners are semi-natural sweeteners and therefore not as harmful as the list of artificial sweeteners from the first blog, they can still harm your body.  They raise your blood sugar level bringing about insulin resistance which leads to diabetes.  This rapid raising and lowering of your blood sugar stresses the body and weakens it in its fight against the pollutants and stressors in our lives.  Considering the incredible effort it takes to mill and process such sweeteners, we may assume we were never meant to eat the large quantities of these sugars we are consuming today. Unfortunately, the processing of such sugars has become a cheap means to add fillers to processed foods so they are prevalent in modern foodstuffs. It is best to avoid these sugars and definitely limit their use in your daily diet.  Read your food and product labels—these can be hidden in the most surprising foods!

Sugar takes many forms but the body treats all sugars the same.

  • Sucrose:  White table sugar.  Good for hummingbirds (the only sugar recommended for these birds by ornithologists), bad for humans. Nothing of value in this substance.  As Bruce Pacetti, DDS stated, “It’s almost as if the devil sat down and listed all the criteria of a substance man could use to destroy himself.  It would have to be pleasing to the eye and taste.  It would have to be pure white and easily available.  It would have to appeal to all the people of this world.  The destroying effects would have to be subtle and take such a long time that very few would realize what was happening until it was too late.  The cruelest criteria of all are it would have to be supported and distributed by the kindest, well—meaning people to the most innocent people.”  So true!
  • Rapadura and Sucanat:     Both of these substances are sugars and the body treats them the same as it does the sucrose, or white table sugar mentioned above. The difference between these sugars and the usual sugar one purchases at the grocery store is that a small amount of trace minerals remains. These minerals existed in the sugar cane syrup that the Rapadura and Sucanat were processed from. Both of these sugars are much less processed than traditional white sugar.
  • Lactose:  Milk sugar.  Naturally occurring and not a problem for most people (even those who believe themselves to be lactose-intolerant) in raw milk.
  • High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is not a good sweetener for us.  This is not just because it comes from corn which is most likely genetically modified.  It’s because fructose, which doesn’t show on blood sugar level tests (it only shows glucose), also causes insulin resistance and increases your likelihood of developing diabetes.  In addition, most products use a high concentration (50% and 52% pure fructose) in their products.  This is too much for your body to process all at one time.
  • Agave nectar:   Produced in Mexico and South Africa from the agave plant.  Unfortunately, though advertised as a healthy alternative, agave nectar is higher in fructose than high-fructose corn syrup.  It’s actually the only sweetener that is worse than high-fructose corn syrup.  Standard agave nectars are between about 50% and 58% fructose.  When you buy a confection—cookie, cake, muffin—containing agave nectar, that concentration could be as high as 75% to 90% pure fructose.
  • Honey:  One of the better sweeteners on this list due to the pollen, propolis, and royal jelly it contains.  However, it is still very concentrated and should be used in moderation.  When purchasing honey be sure to get unheated and unfiltered.  The jar may say raw, but FDA standards allow the designation of “raw” to foods that have been heated to 160°F. The health benefits of honey heated to such a high temperature are lost, as enzymes cannot survive this level of heat.  Because of its anti-infective properties, honey makes a good anti-bacterial dressing for wounds.
  • Molasses, Sorghum, Rice Syrup, and Barley Malt: These are all natural sweeteners but they are made through unnatural means resulting in products with high amounts of sugars that negatively affect your blood sugar levels. Depending on how they are processed, they can contain a high amount of minerals.  This is especially true for molasses, which is made by stripping a harvested sugar plant of its leaves, mashing it and boiling down the resulting juice. Sorghum syrup is made by squeezing the juice out of cane sorghum and boiling down the juice so a concentrated syrup results. Rice syrup, which is also known as brown rice syrup is made by culturing cooked rice which breaks down the starches, then cooking down the resulting liquid until it is of a syrupy consistency. Barley malt syrup is made by sprouting then drying barley grains, and then slowly cooking the grain until a syrup is formed.

All of these sweeteners are made by cooking existing grasses and grains into concentrated amounts of sugars, rather than keeping these foods in their natural state.

Before we move on to the sweeteners that don’t harm the body let’s take a quick look at sugar alcohols.

  • Sugar alcohols:  The name “sugar alcohols” is a bit of a misnomer because they aren’t the type of alcohol we are accustomed to thinking of.  It’s not going to get you high; it’s not that kind of alcohol.  They are good alternatives to the sweeteners mentioned in this blog and the prior sweeteners blog.  However, they should be used in moderation because they can cause loose stool, diarrhea, gastro-intestinal response, gas, bloating, etc.  The sugar alcohols sorbitol and maltitol, have been used in dietetic and diabetic candies for at least 50 years.  Xylitol and erythritol are much newer on the market.  These don’t cause the level of digestive issues as sorbitol and maltitol.  And xylitol has been shown to be an antibacterial when used in gums and mints.  Because it’s in granular form, it’s great in recipes as a substitute for sugar.  When looking for products using these sweeteners, be sure to read the back of the package under Ingredients.  Very often the front of the package will state that the product was made with Xylitol, but when you read the back you find that, in fact, it is sweetened with not only Xylitol but also aspartame, sucralose, etc. Much of the Xylitol extracted is from genetically modified corn and therefore many people have allergic reactions to it.  It can be purchased at most health food stores, but the best and safest form (along with erythritol) is sold by Xylitol USA.

Some of the tribes Dr. Price studied used unrefined, natural sweeteners in small amounts. The key to maintaining the radiant health these tribes possessed is to use small amounts of sugars as opposed to the upwards of ninety pounds of sugar consumed by Americans every year. Some of the tribes possessed no sweeteners in their diets. As Dr. Price wrote in Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, “There is very little of the body building materials in maple syrup and cane syrup from sugar or honey.” The PPNF sweetener rule of thumb is to use as little sugar as possible.

Our next blog will feature sweeteners that are not harmful to the body and have no side effects. These are your ideal sweeteners.

 

Filed Under: Food for Thought, Sugars, Sweeteners

Three Types of Sweeteners, Part I: Avoid These

November 21, 2012 by 1 Comment

Sweeteners are so prevalent in modern, processed foods that it is difficult to imagine a diet that does not include them. In our next three blogs we would like to explain the different types of most common sweeteners and our recommendations for their use. In the tradition of saving the best for last, we’ll start with the sweeteners that aren’t just bad for you, but should be avoided at all costs.

These are the sweeteners made from, what David Getoff, CCN refers to as, franken-molecules.  These are things that were made in a lab, that never existed on the planet, and for which there is no purpose in the diet of a human.  They have the potential to shorten your life or make you miserable and/or incapacitated during the years you have left.

It’s important to understand why toxins have been added to a once pure food supply. To put it simply, profit is the most significant motivator. If there was no market for these toxins they probably would not have been added to our food. The truth is there is a huge market for toxins (such as excitotoxins) because they enhance the taste of foods so dramatically the brain is tricked into causing the consumer to eat more and more of them. Ramen may be cheap, but it’s also addictive. Think about it. How good can salt, flour and water taste? These ingredients can taste fabulous when enhanced with mono sodium glutamate (MSG).

These “sweeteners” (most of which are excitotoxins) are addictive and directly affect the brain when consumed. Sounds like a drug, not a food, doesn’t it?

  • Aspartame:    An excitotoxin, a neurotoxin and therefore, a poison.  It contains methyl ester which, as soon as it is swallowed, becomes free methyl alcohol also known as wood alcohol Methyl alcohol is used as antifreeze and is unfit for human consumption. After its introduction in the mid 1980s, it was found that 80% of complaints about food and additives that were volunteered to the FDA involved aspartame products.  Aspartame affects protein synthesis, how the synapses operate in the brain (seizures and brain disorders), and DNA.  It affects numerous organs therefore causing a variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms.  If you take in a lot of aspartame along with carbohydrates, you will decrease the availability of L-tryptophan, the building block for serotonin, an important neurotransmitter responsible for mood regulation.  Though it can cause long-term neurological problems, sometimes, when intake of aspartame is completely eliminated, the problems diminish or go away.  It is often sold under the brand names of NutraSweet, Equal, Equal Spoonful, and Amino Sweet.
  • Neotame:  Made by NutraSweet and is related to aspartame—in other words, dangerous!  Studies on Neotame don’t address any long-term health implications.  It also contains methanol which is used in antifreeze and in the production of biodiesel.
  • Sucralose:  Made in a similar fashion to pesticides, using chlorine in the process.  Not something most people would want to put into their bodies.  It is often sold under the brand names of Splenda, Sukrana, SucraPlus, Candys, Cukren, and Nevella.
  • Acesulfame K:  Contains methylene chloride, a carcinogen.  Its chemical composition is similar to saccharin.  It’s often used in conjunction with other toxic sweeteners to enhance and sustain the sweet taste in foods.  Also known as Sunette, Sweet One, Sweet ‘n Safe and used in items like Hershey’s Lite Syrup and Sugar-Free Jell-O.
  • Canderel:  The brand of aspartame used in the U.K.  See aspartame, above.
  • Saccharin:  Also known as sodium saccharin.  According to the Center for Science in the  Public Interest, saccharin should not have been removed from the list of potential carcinogens since it is a weak carcinogen.  Due to faulty testing practices, it was removed in 2000 from the National Toxicology Program’s “Report on Carcinogens” and, subsequently, very little further study on the substance has been conducted. In addition, the saccharine found in some infant formulas has been known to cause irritability and muscle dysfunction.  It is sold under the brand name of  Sweet’N Low.
  • Cyclamates:  Banned in the United States (sold in Canada and the U.K).  As with saccharine, it was found to be a carcinogen, but faulty testing practices give us incomplete information. At the time of this writing, cyclamates were not under further study.

Carcinogens? Poisons? Chlorine? Suddenly, these sweeteners don’t sound so sweet! One of the best documentaries on aspartame that gives the consumer insight into the entire artificial sweetener and big food industry is the documentary Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World. In our next blog we’ll explain why some sweeteners, such as cane sugar, while not possessing a scary, chemical-compound name, are not actually natural to the human diet and according to the work of the great nutrition pioneers should be avoided as much as possible.

Filed Under: Food for Thought, Sugars, Sweeteners

Grains & Grain Alternatives

November 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

To maintain a healthy diet, it is important to eliminate or at least greatly cut down on our consumption of starches.  But grains?  Really?  Even the good ones?  Well, though there are some things that are best just given up completely, there are alternatives that can be used now and then to round out our diets and satisfy those cravings.  The good news is that as you continue to eat a healthier diet, changing your emphasis from starches and sugars to good proteins and fats, your cravings for unhealthy foods do decrease and in many cases disappear completely.  In time, your body, recognizing that it is receiving the kinds of foods it really needs, happily shifts over to efficiently metabolizing the needed macronutrients and your cravings eventually vanish.

So what are some of our choices?  For starters, the healthiest grain choice is the one which is the slowest to break down (convert to sugar) in the body.  For example, if you want to eat oatmeal, whole oats, soaked and slightly fermented overnight would be the best, steel cut oats would be second best, and all the other types should be avoided.  And, as mentioned in the blog on sabotage foods, eat your oatmeal with eggs, butter, or other good healthy fats and proteins so it converts to sugar more slowly in the body.

Second, be aware that what the label says and what the product actually is, are often two different things.  An example of this is the term 100% Whole Grain.  That’s more of a marketing term; it has nothing to do with reality.  A simple way to explain this is, if it can’t be sprouted, it’s not a whole grain.  A 100% whole grain noodle will not sprout into a pasta bush if planted.  Neither can a slice of 100% whole grain bread sprout into a bread tree if planted. A whole grain is a seed.  If it was a whole grain and then was overheated, or cooked, or ground, it will die and be incapable of sprouting. It’s no longer a whole grain—it’s a processed whole grain.

There are some gluten-free whole grains that are better than others because they contain more nutrients.  They are super grains or super foods.  These include teff, which comes in an ivory color and brown, quinoa (KEEN-wah ) which comes in black, red, and off-white, and amaranth  which ranges in color from black to red to ivory.

Why am I mentioning the colors?   The colors in food reflect nutrients from nature.  If you have a grain with more than one color option, the darker, more colorful grains will have more nutrients than the more pale versions.

Rice is the single most-consumed grain in a lot of cultures.  White rice is one of the fastest sugar-converters.  Rice should be as dark as possible, keeping all the parts of the rice together.  Choose black, dark brown, mahogany, red cargo, and wild rice.  (Wild rice isn’t really a rice. It’s technically called a grass, but it’s found in the store in the same section as rice.)  Lundberg , found in most health food stores, is a good brand for quality rice. It is available in a variety of dark colors.

One of the healthiest of all the grains is barley, because it converts to sugar in the body at such a slow rate.  If you’re gluten-sensitive, search for heirloom varieties of barley such as Buffalo Barley from Goldmine Natural Foods.  This company carries many of the heirloom grains.   An heirloom grain is a grain which has not been hybridized beyond recognition, but rather, is in its original, natural state.

There are a few healthy noodles and pastas but generally the grains are so processed that there is little nutritional value remaining.  Brown rice pasta sounds healthy, but it is actually one of the fastest sugar-converters of the pastas.  Unfortunately, pastas, in general, are not a nutritious meal choice.  However, there is a pasta made from quinoa, but, to make it a palatable texture that people like, corn has been added (a super-fast sugar-converter and a GMO food).  Hopefully, more healthy alternatives will be available in the near future.

If you happen to be in the San Diego area, you can find pasta made out of ground up beans at the Hillcrest farmer’s market.  Beans, though a starch, convert more slowly to sugar, so pasta made from beans would be the best choice—if you can find them.

An alternative to noodles made from grains is a kelp noodle from the Sea Tangle Company.  It’s available in some health food stores and online from the Sea Tangle Company. The ingredients consist solely of extracts of seaweed.  They take the part of the kelp which is used in  yogurts and ice creams as a thickening agent (it’s called sodium alginate) and they make it into a noodle.  It will not change its texture no matter how long it is cooked.  It’s crispy and has a very mild taste.  The texture is different from modern pastas but it is a healthy alternative.  This kelp noodle can be put in salads, soups, stews, broths, coleslaw, etc.

Another option is the shirataki noodle used in many Japanese dishes.  Miracle Noodle is the most popular brand, but there are other brands available.  It comes from the konjac (elephant yam) root and does not contain starch as it is mostly a soluble fiber. This alternative has a different texture than we’re used to.  Like most pastas, the taste comes from the ingredients you put on it.  It’s very chewy and is an excellent base for carrying yummy sauces made from healthy vegetables, cream, cheeses, meats, etc.

Finally, when it comes to baking, healthy grains can be a challenge.  There’s an excellent cookbook called The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, by Elana Amsterdam.  It contains recipes using almond flour instead of grain flour.  Almonds are much better for you because, unlike grains, the almonds don’t turn right into sugar.  They contain fat and protein.   In Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Dr. Weston A. Price found healthy populations that ate grains, but there was an absence of refined sugars and starches in their diets. Their grain came from heirloom seeds not from the over-hybridized seeds most breads and pastas are made from today. The grain was ground immediately before baking, rather than sitting on store shelves and growing rancid. They also soaked and sprouted their grain.  Modern (especially western) populations have done a lot of harm to their bodies by eating too many grains sugars and alcohols. The big question here is based on what we learned from Pottenger’s Cats: what did you eat growing up? Were you breastfed? For how long? What did your parents and grandparents eat? Like the tribes that Dr. Price studied, if a person and the many generations before them ate a perfect diet and this food was what their healthy ancestors ate, then their body might do well with a similar amount of grain, prepared in the proper, traditional way.

Ideally we hope you use the grain alternatives information in this blog while increasing your consumption of healthy fats and proteins and the foods that your healthy ancestors enjoyed.

 

Filed Under: Carbohydrates, Food for Thought, Grain Alternatives, Grains, Starches, Uncategorized

Sabotage Foods

November 5, 2012 by 5 Comments

In his class, Attaining Optimal Health in the 21st Century , nutritionist David Getoff uses a self-coined term, sabotage foods, to help his students realize the dastardly effects of having too much of these food types in their daily diet.  What are these food types?  Starches, Sugars, and Alcohol.  These are also known as sugar converters because they convert into sugars when metabolized by the body.  There are many sugar converters in modern diets , but the sabotage foods are those foods which rapidly convert into sugar and have a detrimental effect on your health and wellbeing.

Here’s a short list of Sabotage Foods to give you an idea of what we’re talking about:

  • Cereals                                Tortillas                                     Cookies
  • Fruit Juice                         Muffins                                       Pastries
  • Refined Grains                 Bagels                                          Buns
  • Corn                                     White Rice                                 Beer
  • Pastas                                  Ice Cream                                  Wine
  • Candy                                  Cake                                             Liqueur
  • Junk/Fast Food              Granola Bars                             Hard Alcohol
  • Pancakes                            Sugar
  • Breads                                 Honey

These foods convert to sugar quickly in your body and raise your blood sugar too high and too fast causing an inflammatory response.  This makes you more susceptible to conditions such as diabetes, cancer, high cholesterol, heart disease, hypoglycemia, thyroid problems, acne, a depressed immune system, neurological issues such as multiple sclerosis and other degenerative diseases.

Our bodies are designed by nature to use fats as one of the primary sources of energy.  If the body is not fed proper fats, and instead subsists on a diet of starches, sugars and alcohols for several years, it will shift over and begin making most of its energy conversions from starches and sugars. This causes the inflammatory response mentioned earlier and throws your whole system off balance.  Avoiding, or greatly reducing, these items in your diet can bring about dramatic changes in how you feel and promote long-term health and disease prevention.  Another benefit of staying away from sabotage foods is weight loss.  Sabotage foods make you feel hungry more often making it difficult to consume a consistent and appropriate amount of calories.  Want proof? Try this easy, four-day experiment.

Pick some type of animal protein that you really prefer. You’re going to be eating this for breakfast four days in a row so you might as well make it one you enjoy. Most people end up choosing eggs because they’re the easiest—but any protein will do.  We’ll use eggs for this example.  You will want to eat an adequate portion of eggs so that you are full.  You don’t want to be stuffed, nor do you want to be hungry in an hour—you want to feel full.  Depending on your size and stature, and how much energy you expend, you could eat between three and five eggs. No muffin; no bread; no orange juice; no fruit; nothing else. The idea is to replace those items with enough eggs so that you are comfortably full.  Cook them to your preference. You’re allowed to season them with sea salt, garlic, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme—whatever you like. Just be sure to use organic seasonings. That’s the breakfast.  If you’d like a little bit of something to drink, have a little bit of water.  As soon as you finish your breakfast, write down what time it is and then, later, write down whatever time of day you begin to feel hungry.  Make sure you are hungry…don’t fall into the trap of thinking you are hungry because you usually have a snack at 10:00 A.M.  We all get into habits.  If at a certain time of day you usually go and grab a handful of some snack, stop yourself and say, “Wait a minute.  Am I really hungry?”  Likely, you won’t be.  Write down the time that you actually felt hungry.  How long did those eggs hold you?  Did they hold you for 3½ hours?  4½ hours?  5 hours?  However long it was, write that down for two days in a row.

Try this for breakfast, or lunch, or dinner….

On days three and four of the experiment, eat the same breakfast with one minor change.  Prepare the same amount of eggs—exactly the same as on days one and two.  On days three and four, include a sabotage food such as some type of fruit, sugar, or starch—you can use the list above for ideas.  You’re going to be a little bit fuller because you’re adding a sabotage food on top of your usual amount of eggs.  Now you’ve had more food and more calories, for breakfast.  Again, write down what time you finish breakfast and then write down when you first start to be hungry. You will be duly surprised when you are hungry sooner, even though you ate more calories.  It’s because you ate a sabotage food, or a food that sabotaged your body’s ability to take those beneficial macronutrients (proteins and fats) and hold you at an even blood sugar and energy level.  This is why so many people struggle with their weight.  They’re hungry over and over again during the day and they have to grab more food throughout the day because they’re eating sabotage foods.

Most people can jump-start their weight loss by cutting out all starches, sugars & alcohols while consuming more proteins and fats.  Sometimes we have to look at thyroid problems and a lot of other factors.  But, the sabotage foods are often the most significant issue.

So, avoiding, or greatly reducing, these sabotage foods allows the body to switch back over to using fats and proteins as its primary source of energy as it was meant to do.  In addition, it reduces the amount of inflammation in your body making you healthier and stronger and less susceptible to the degenerative diseases that are plaguing our society today.

instead of this. Cereals can leave you hungry again in an hour.

Making changes in the way you eat can be very challenging.  Habits and traditions can be difficult to break.  If you feel you need to consume starches, sugar, or alcohol now and then, minimize the effects of such dietary choices by including a good amount of high-quality fats and proteins in the same meal.  This will slow down the sugar conversion and lessen the negative effects of these sabotage foods.

Every step you take toward avoiding or limiting the sabotage foods in your daily diet is progress.  Pat yourself on the back.  You’ve taken a step towards improving your health and your future.

We know that the list of foods one should avoid is rather lengthy and disconcerting to some. Stay tuned for our next blog coming up this week on the healthy grain and sweeteners you can include in your meal plans. After all, we don’t want to just tell you what not to eat-we want you to thrive on the traditional diet of your ancestors which is full of quality, health-promoting foods.

Filed Under: Food for Thought

Toothpaste With a Warning Label?

October 16, 2012 by 6 Comments

Why would toothpaste need a warning label?…especially toothpaste marketed to children?  Is there a possible toxin (or toxins) in the substance we apply daily to our mouths, gums and teeth ?  Yes, there are often multiple toxins, the most common poison being fluoride.  And, yes, we mean that same chemical they’re putting in our drinking water―which is another issue itself.  But, for now, let’s stick to toothpaste―toothpastes that doesn’t require a warning label―those that are good for us, and for our children.  How do you find one?

First, read the label and avoid anything with fluoride in it. Second, take another look at the label to see if the toothpaste contains sodium lauryl sulfate.  It’s a degreasing and foaming agent, and it’s being studied regarding its correlation to cancer and numerous other health conditions. Any time we can keep sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, and sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (different words for almost the same molecule), and fluoride out of our toothpaste, we’re doing ourselves a favor.

What is wrong with a toothpaste displaying a warning label “Harmful if swallowed?” The problem here isn’t simply the obvious fact that someone could easily swallow most substances they put in their mouths, but also the fact that digestion begins in the mouth. Our mouths are part of the gastrointestinal tract and are the gateway to our body. The mouth begins the digestive process of the body’s absorption of both nutrients and toxins. Common sense would dictate that a substance which is harmful to the body should never be put in one’s mouth, which is, currently, still considered part of the body! Last time we checked, even government entities still agree with this assessment!

Luckily, consumers have better options than playing Russian Roulette via dental hygiene…

So, what are some better toothpaste choices? The following are recommended by nutritionist and homeopath David Getoff: Xyliwhite from NOW Foods and Spry by Xlear―both use xylitol, a natural substance which your body manufactures.  It’s a non-toxic sweetener (it’s always good to avoid sugar) and an antibacterial agent.  A study was done by a dental school where they had people use xylitol chewing gum or mints between meals or after a snack.  It was found that people who used these items had fewer cavities.  Putting xylitol in toothpaste seems like a good idea, too―you’re getting all the bacteria fighting goodness without the chemical dangers of fluoride.

Weleda offers another option with its use of minerals like sea salt, and organic plant extracts such a blackthorn (disinfectant), myrrh (soothing), and calendula (anti-inflammatory).

Peelu has an interesting ingredient―Peelu vegetable fiber―a great substance to help whiten your teeth.  This compound has tannin (antibacterial), vitamin C (strengthens gums), sulphur (reduces bacteria buildup), and natural resins (enamel strengthener) It’s a good product for whitening your teeth without harmful abrasives and bleach.

Another good choice would be PerioPaste from Bio-Pro Dental.  It contains all sorts of different things like folic acid, CoQ10, herbs, and essential oils that kill bacteria, reduce inflammation, rebuild damaged tissue, and support healthy gum growth.  It also contains Lysine, which is often used to combat herpes virus and cold sores.  Because it’s a professional brand, you won’t find the Bio-Pro® Dental PerioPaste in health food stores.  However, there are many places that sell it online.

And last, but not least, is good ol’ baking soda and salt.  Baking soda is a strong alkalizer so it will help temporarily neutralize acids in the mouth. The body is unharmed if one swallows baking soda; however, if swallowed during a meal or immediately after it can hinder digestion as baking soda’s alkalinizing properties will neutralize stomach acid and prevent proper digestion. The salt is an antibacterial agent because most bacteria are killed by a high enough level of salt.  The ideal combination is equal parts baking soda and salt. Make sure to use unrefined salt with minerals and no added chemicals such as Real Salt. These ingredients can be used with a dry toothbrush or one which has been lightly moistened in filtered water. The combination is an inexpensive way to use a cleaner, an alkalizer, and an antibacterial agent.  Keep in mind that some dentists believe that baking soda can be abrasive to tooth enamel. You may want to alternate this combination with the toothpastes we recommend above.

There are a lot of options available―more than just listed here.  Plan to take a few extra minutes next time you’re searching through the internet or browsing through the health food store to read some labels.  Avoid fluoride, avoid sugar and avoid sodium lauryl sulfate (along with all of its similarly-named friends).  Instead find products that have natural antibacterial substances, herbs, and minerals―all the things that will help your body fight against dental cavities and disease.   But first and foremost, find a toothpaste without a legally mandated warning label regarding ingesting substances you use to clean your mouth. After all, toothpaste should NOT need a safety warning!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Healthy & Safe Household Products

September 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Just as important as the foods you consume are the products you administer to your skin and use in your household. After all it doesn’t make sense to avoid toxins such as additives and chemicals in your diet then use a lead-filled lipstick every day!

Yes, that is correct: your favorite shade of lip wear may contain lead!  Your hair dye may contain lead as well.  Perhaps even more alarming is the presence of mercury in eye liners and eye drops. This toxic metal is known as “thimerosal” in eye products and is currently banned for cosmetic use in Europe. Minnesota banned the use of mercury in eye products in 2007, and other states, including Rhode Island and Connecticut, are discontinuing the sale of these products. The Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation (PPNF) believes consumers should not only rely on their home state or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to step in and prevent the sale of toxic hygiene products but also refer to the household and body care products guide we have included here.

Various physical factors such as the thickness of one’s skin can affect the body’s rate of absorption. Therefore, some people may absorb the toxic metals and agents in cosmetic and skin care products at a higher and more dangerous rate than others. These elements are often found in the artificial colorings added to cosmetics and skincare products.  Shockingly, the FDA permits a stronger concentration of metals in these products than all other products it regulates, including foods. This means the lotions and hygienic products applied directly to the body may be more harmful to consumers than the air fresheners and insecticides used in their homes. For further information on what products the FDA regulates see http://1.usa.gov/WcwRH.

Sometimes hygienic items contain ingredients that make your body’s barriers more porous and therefore more able to absorb toxins. Shampoos and toothpastes often contain sodium laurel and laureth sulfate, both of which are unnecessary foaming agents that increase the absorption abilities of mucous membranes. To avoid these toxins in your shampoos and learn about non-toxic hair care methods PPNF members can refer to Journal article “Natural Hair Care” (1982, Volume 7, No. 2) or search our online Journal archives. Never underestimate the abilities of oral absorption! The mouth is where digestion begins, so be careful what you put in it, even when “cleaning” your mouth and teeth.

Air fresheners and cosmetic perfumes can contain phthalates, which are hormone disruptors in both men and women. The attached product guide offers alternatives to traditional air fresheners as well as a source for essential oils. Our PPNF Journal article “Breath Fresheners: Cleaning the Air with Indoor Greenery” (Summer 2008, Volume 32, No. 2) also offers alternatives to traditional products.  Essential oils contain medicinal properties and are not to be confused with fragrant oils which include artificial ingredients. Synthetic fragrances and cosmetic nail products can also contain toluene, which can affect unborn children.

PPNF board member Joann Berger, CCN, goes into further detail regarding make-up and skin care products in her Journal article “Are There Make-up and Skin Care Products?” (Winter 2009-10 Volume 33-4)  and in her skin care DVD and PowerPoint presentation.

Refer to our  Recommended Products that provide safe alternatives to the commercial versions of toxic items such as air fresheners, shampoos and skin care.  These products do not contain artificial ingredients and are safe for human use.  Whenever possible we have provided the vendor and location where you may purchase these products.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Cavities in Kids on the Rise-No Surprise!

September 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

In a recent documentary on PBS, two graduates of the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism found a near epidemic of cavities in rural areas.  The explanation they came up with was that, in part, it was due to a lack of knowledge and practice of dental hygiene.  But how does that explain the New York Times article about a rise in surgery for toddlers due to cavities? One can understand a near epidemic in rural El Salvador due to a lack of knowledge about dental hygiene but what would be the reason in the United States where the need for brushing our teeth is so well known?  The Berkeley journalists were on the right track with their report.  They tied the increase in cavities not only to the lack of knowledge, but also to the invasion of junk food, literally by the semi-truck-full, into rural communities by companies from the United States.

This may seem like new information, but that’s what Dr. Weston A. Price, researcher and dentist, had known for years.  In the 1930s he studied isolated tribes around the world and his findings, published in his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, make our current headlines old news.  Dental hygiene (brushing, flossing, trips to the dentist) cannot be the only issue.

Since 1952, the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation (PPNF),  has protected and disseminated the amazing discoveries and the photos taken by Dr. Weston A. Price.

If Dr. Price were here today, and someone suggested that the epidemic-type occurrence of cavities in children were due to a lack of flossing and brushing, his response would be a definite No!  —These people (referring to the isolated tribes) never flossed, they never brushed their teeth, and their teeth were in better dental condition, with close to zero dental caries (which is the technical word for cavities) compared to what we have today.  What you should be doing is eating better!

That doesn’t mean that brushing your teeth isn’t necessary.  Even if you do follow a nutritionally sound diet, modern-day farming techniques have depleted our soils of their nutrients, causing once nutritionally dense foods to be somewhat deficient in essential vitamins and minerals. Therefore, your dental health might not be as sound as those of the tribes that Dr. Price studied in spite of adherence to proper diet. Price-Pottenger recommends that you still brush, floss and if possible use a water pick to maintain your dental health.

However, good dental practices will not prevent tooth decay in a nutritionally deficient diet. What you eat matters more than you think.  Junk food, lately imported into El Salvador and common in the U.S., is doing a number on children’s teeth…and our own.  One of the worst is soda.  That’s a double whammy. Not only is it full of sugar, it’s full of acid.  Do you remember the science experiment where you put a tooth into a glass of soda?  Yes, the tooth eventually dissolved in the soda. The high phosphorous level in soda also inhibits calcium absorption, so while the soda is damaging the tooth enamel it is also interfering with the assimilation of this mineral that is essential for building strong bones and teeth.  So, why would we allow our kids to bathe their teeth in it on a regular basis?

Almost as bad as junk food and soda is fruit juice. One typical twelve-ounce serving of  100% pure,  organic fruit juice contains an average of 8.25 to 13.5 teaspoons of sugar. Your body may absorb some nutrients from the beverage but the damage done to your body and teeth from the sugar content outweighs any possible health benefits. The healthy tribes studied by Dr. Price ate small amounts of fruit.  It was IN SEASON (not year ‘round – that’s right, you do not need fruit year ‘round unless your ancestors came from the tropics), that was RIPE, locally grown, and naturally organic. These tribes did not drink fruit juice. When a tribesperson was thirsty, he or she would drink water!

If we want to give our children’s teeth (and their overall health, for that matter) a boost in the right direction, help them out by providing healthy snacks and drinks…low in sugar, low in carbohydrates (which are often metabolized as sugar by the body), and definitely decrease, or better yet, eliminate soda.  And, in the meantime, do it for yourself, too.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Take Off Those Sunglasses!

September 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As more and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of getting some exposure to the sun each day, most people understandably think of exposure to the skin.  Not only does your skin need to be exposed to the sun, but your eyes do as well.  We don’t mean staring at the sun, or giving yourself a headache on bright days.  However, your eyes do need access to sunlight.  They need it at whatever level your eyes can currently handle.  And, unless you spend a lot of time outside without sunglasses already, you should work towards increasing your eyes’ ability to handle more sunlight to give your body a multitude of health benefits.

Our need for sunlight is nothing new.  Many major ancient civilizations including Egypt, Rome, and Greece made use of sunlight as solar therapy.  Not only was the full spectrum of sunlight used for healing, but Heliopolis (the Greek city of the sun) was known for healing temples where the spectrum was broken down into the its different colors for specific medical problems.  In the less sunny parts of England (and there are a lot of those), doctors would prescribe patients to go to another part of the country (or another country entirely) for a time of healing—away from the gloom and into the sunlight.  More recently, conditions helped by sun therapy have included colitis, anemia, gout, cystitis, arteriosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, acne, herpes, lupus, sciatica, asthma and kidney problems.  When treating tuberculosis, one doctor noted that the treatment failed if the patient was wearing UV-protecting sunglasses.  They eyes were the key to good results!

Sunlight includes the UV part of the spectrum—yes, that part we are endlessly warned to avoid at all costs.  UV is one of the most biologically active parts of the spectrum and is essential for both plants and animals.  For more information on this see Dr. Jacob Liberman’s book, Light:  Medicine of the Future.  Back to where we were…  When sunlight enters your eyes, it influences the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and pineal gland by neurochemical channels and thus has an effect on your entire endocrine system.  (In some ways the effect of light entering our eyes is similar to the photosynthesis in plants).  So, what does this mean for you on a daily basis?  What will taking off your sunglasses and spending some time each day under natural sunlight do for you?  Here’s a list…and more is being added to it all the time.

•        Regulates physiological and emotional functioning

•        Regulates hormones

•        Increases sex hormones

•        Increases your ability to adapt to stresses

•        Provides relief from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

•        Improves ability to fall asleep and stay asleep at night after exposure to sun during the day

•        Strengthens your body’s defenses against disease

•        Lowers blood pressure

•        Increases heart efficiency

•        Reduces cholesterol

•        Assists in weight loss

•        Improves healing of psoriasis

•        Provides relief from depression

 

So, if you don’t need sunglasses—don’t wear them.  The only time you should wear them is if the sun is making you squint or causing a headache.  Since very few of us were raised outdoors most of the day, our eyes are just not accustomed to sunlight.  How can we improve our eyes’ ability to handle this life-giving force?  And, when we do need to wear sunglasses, what type should we wear?  Here are a few suggestions from David Getoff:

I. First, the following supplements are helpful:

A.  Beta Carotene — sometimes listed as Vitamin A on your supplement—be sure to check the label.

B. Vitamin A — not the same as beta carotene.  This is an animal molecule that comes from animal liver.  If you don’t eat a lot of liver, supplements are available in health  food stores—again, check the label.  Dr. Price, in his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration noted a dramatic correlation between Vitamin A intake and eye health.

C.   Astaxanthin – an antioxidant supplement.

II. Wear a visor or other type of hat.

III. Try to walk from your house to your mail box (or from your car to the store) without your sunglasses.  Sometimes wearing them is simply a habit and not a necessity.

IV.  If you do need to wear sunglasses:

A.Wear them only when you absolutely need to:

                                        1.      On extremely bright days

2.      When the sun causes you to squint

3.      When the brightness gives you a headache

4.      When you’re trekking through the brightly reflecting snow

B. Wear them on the top of your head and only bring them down when absolutely needed.

C. Select sunglasses that do NOT have UV protection.

D. Select grey lenses.  Grey lenses distort colors less and expose your eyes to all the colors of the spectrum more evenly.

E. Avoid unusually colored lenses such as pink, blue, green.  These can affect your emotional wellbeing.

 

For more information:

Light: Medicine of the Future by Jacob Liberman, OD, PhD

Exploring the Spectrum (DVD) by Dr. John Nash Ott

Attaining Optimal Health in the 21st Century (Class) by David Getoff through PPNF.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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