Tag Archives: healthy diet

food, Health, Nutrition, Video

BREAD: Just 5 Ingredients

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Dr. Pradip Jamnadas talks about bread and the over use of non essential ingredients.

Dr. Pradip Jamnadas

Basic bread should have 5 ingredients. Flour, sugar, salt, water and yeast. Very little sugar equals 1 tablespoon maximum for 2 lbs of bread dough. Add all the butter and animal fat you want.

It’s what you buy that is adding the weight gain. Not what you are eating.

Have you forgotten to read labels. I know I sure did. Something we should be not be relaxed on. Now more than ever you need to read the ingredients list and ask yourself if all those extra ingredients really necessary. Seriously, some ingredients you can’t even pronounce. Why do you want that in your food?

So this is just what you need to listen to. Change your eating habits and see the difference. Feel the change in energy.

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Health, Health & Beauty, Nutrition

DO YOU SUFFER FROM HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? SODIUM, IT’S IN EVERYTHING…


If you are suffering from High Blood Pressure the culprit could be sodium.

Have you been reading the labels lately?

I had stopped reading the labels for a couple of years knowing I had read the labels for the items I had chosen. I was shocked to see the changes. Today it seems all products contain some sort of sodium. If you are reading your labels as you shop you will notice SODIUM even when it says “NO ADDED SALT, LOW SALT and LOW SODIUM”.

For optimal heart-health, the American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium daily. Too much salt, says Dr. Pollak from MAYO Clinic, can increase your blood pressure, in turn, increasing your risk for a heart attack or stroke.

As you can see in the chart below the changes are constant. Today one slice of white bread has 130mg of sodium. Bottled Water has Calcium Chloride, Sodium Bicarbonate which equals to 5mg per 1 cup. More and more products are hiking up the sodium count so watch your labels.

What shocked me the most was milk and water!!!

I didn’t realize no matter what type of organic, fancy expensive or regular cheap cow milk the sodium levels were no less than 120mg of sodium in a one cup serving. WOW, I searched every label in the dairy section just to find that some milks went even higher.

Water, really!!! Adding sodium to every bottled water. Not only sodium, flavoring and natural minerals. Natural minerals, already known to be in water. Minerals are removed when reverse osmosis takes place to filter out the harmful additives. This is no joke. Next time you buy water check it out.

I always shy away from processed meats, processed cheeses and spreads, canned soups and frozen food as much as possible. These are products that can contain thousands of milligrams of sodium. The manufactures use sodium as a natural preservative. It is widely used in all foods.

ideal blood pressure chart 70

You can no longer trust the same brand to continue to have the same ingredients as weeks and months go by. It had only been 1 year since I had last read the labels on some of the staple products I buy each week. Big changes in those foods happened and I wasn’t paying attention. I was intaking so much sodium I had 6 heart attacks in 4 days thinking it was heart burn. Yeah it was heart burn alright. I thought I was doing my healthy life style eating habits but I slipped up and stopped paying attention.

So Remember… READ YOUR LABELS

food, Nutrition

WHAT IS THE PALEO DIET ALL ABOUT?


Seems everyone is moving toward diets on the lighter side. Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Plant Based products are all the rage for a healthy lifestyle for 2020. So todays review is on the Paleo Diet.

The Paleolithic diet, Paleo diet, caveman diet, or stone-age diet is a modern fad diet requiring the sole or predominant eating of foods presumed to have been available to humans during the Paleolithic era.

The digestive abilities of anatomically modern humans, however, are different from those of pre-Homo sapiens humans, which has been used to criticize the diet’s core premise. During the 2.6 million year-long Paleolithic era, the highly variable climate and worldwide spread of human populations meant that humans were, by necessity, nutritionally adaptable. Supporters of the diet mistakenly assume that human digestion has remained essentially unchanged over time.

While there is wide variability in the way the paleo diet is interpreted, the diet typically includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, and meat and typically excludes foods such as dairy products, grains, sugar, legumes, processed oils, salt, alcohol, and coffee. [additional citation(s) needed]

The diet is based on avoiding not just processed foods, but rather the foods that humans began eating after the Neolithic Revolution when humans transitioned from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to settled agriculture. The ideas behind the diet can be traced to Walter L. Voegtlin

In the 21st century, the paleo diet was popularized in the best-selling books of Loren Cordain.

The paleo diet is promoted as a way of improving health. There is some evidence that following this diet may lead to improvements in terms of body composition and metabolic effects compared with the typical Western diet or compared with diets recommended by national nutritional guidelines. Following the paleo diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies such as an inadequate calcium intake, and side effects can include weakness, diarrhea, and headaches.

The diet advises eating only foods presumed to be available to Paleolithic humans, but there is wide variability in people’s understanding of what foods these were, and an accompanying ongoing debate. The diet is based on avoiding not just modern processed foods, but also the foods that humans began eating after the Neolithic Revolution.

The scientific literature generally uses the term “Paleo nutrition pattern”, which has been variously described as:

  • “vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, meat, and organ meats”;
  • “vegetables (including root vegetables), fruit (including fruit oils, e.g., olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil), nuts, fish, meat, and eggs, and it excluded dairy, grain-based foods, legumes, extra sugar, and nutritional products of industry (including refined fats and refined carbohydrates)”; and
  • “avoids processed foods, and emphasizes eating vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, eggs, and lean meats”.

The diet forbids the consumption of all dairy products. This is because milking did not exist until animals were domesticated after the Paleolithic era.

It has been thought that remaining on the Paleo diet can not sustain a healthy diet in 2020. Restricting certain food groups takes away many vitamins and minerals our bodies need to run a healthy life.

If you want to create a healthy lifestyle you can learn to consume healthy quanties of each food group with portion control.

If you sit down and eat a bag of greasy chips instead of eating some fruit, what do you think is going to happen? Your going to intake very little nutritional value. What we want to achieve is balance between all foods.

Now there are two ways of going about creating the perfect eating habits. You can eat small portions of healthy foods all day long and have a largeer meal of your choice or you can have 3 well balanced portioned meals and 2 snacks.

Have you ever noticed that your frozen meals at the store are portioned? Have you ever read the ingredients? Look at the sodium level. Anywhere from 800 to 1600 grams. That is a lot of salt. Simple solution make your own frozen meals. Cheaper and no preservatives.

Not sure if you have seen how much EXTRA yeast they are adding into processed foods. Yeast is no longer just in bread. All most every product has yeast in the ingredients. Sometimes more than once, because of another product in the ingredients has also added yeast to their products.

So if you feel you can no longer control your weight without some kind of pill or diet you still can, just by following a few easy steps. Sure it might seem a bit much until you get a routine down. That won’t take but a couple of times. You can take one day a month or a weekend and prepare meals and stick them in your freezer. All well balanced and healthy.

So think about what you are consuming before you buy it.

food, Nutrition

DASH DIET, Needs More Research, What’s your opinion?

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SOURCED FROM: MAYO CLINIC, Wikipedia

IS THIS DIET HEART SMART?

DASH DIET:  MAYO CLINIC reports healthy eating to lower your blood pressure.
The DASH diet emphasizes the right portion sizes, variety of foods and nutrients. Discover how DASH can improve your health and lower your blood pressure.

DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet is a lifelong approach to healthy eating that’s designed to help treat or prevent high blood pressure (hypertension). The DASH diet plan was developed to lower blood pressure without medication in research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

The DASH diet encourages you to reduce the sodium in your diet and eat a variety of foods rich in nutrients that help lower blood pressure, such as potassium, calcium and magnesium.
By following the DASH diet, you may be able to reduce your blood pressure by a few points in just two weeks. Over time, the top number of your blood pressure (systolic blood pressure) could drop by eight to 14 points, which can make a significant difference in your health risks.
Because the DASH diet is a healthy way of eating, it offers health benefits besides just lowering blood pressure. The DASH diet is also in line with dietary recommendations to prevent osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
DASH diet: Sodium levels

The DASH diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy foods — and moderate amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts.
In addition to the standard DASH diet, there is also a lower sodium version of the diet. You can choose the version of the diet that meets your health needs:

Standard DASH diet. You can consume up to 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day.
Lower sodium DASH diet. You can consume up to 1,500 mg of sodium a day.
Both versions of the DASH diet aim to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet compared with what you might get in a typical American diet, which can amount to a whopping 3,400 mg of sodium a day or more.
The standard DASH diet meets the recommendation from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to keep daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg a day.
The American Heart Association recommends 1,500 mg a day of sodium as an upper limit for all adults. If you aren’t sure what sodium level is right for you, talk to your doctor.
DASH diet: What to eat

Both versions of the DASH diet include lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. The DASH diet also includes some fish, poultry and legumes, and encourages a small amount of nuts and seeds a few times a week.

You can eat red meat, sweets and fats in small amounts. The DASH diet is low in saturated fat, trans fat and total fat.
Here’s a look at the recommended servings from each food group for the 2,000-calorie-a-day DASH diet.
Grains: 6 to 8 servings a day
Grains include bread, cereal, rice and pasta. Examples of one serving of grains include 1 slice whole-wheat bread, 1 ounce dry cereal, or 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta.
Focus on whole grains because they have more fiber and nutrients than do refined grains. For instance, use brown rice instead of white rice, whole-wheat pasta instead of regular pasta and whole-grain bread instead of white bread. Look for products labeled “100% whole grain” or “100% whole wheat.”
Grains are naturally low in fat. Keep them this way by avoiding butter, cream and cheese sauces.
Vegetables: 4 to 5 servings a day
Tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, greens and other vegetables are full of fiber, vitamins, and such minerals as potassium and magnesium. Examples of one serving include 1 cup raw leafy green vegetables or 1/2 cup cut-up raw or cooked vegetables.
Don’t think of vegetables only as side dishes — a hearty blend of vegetables served over brown rice or whole-wheat noodles can serve as the main dish for a meal.
Fresh and frozen vegetables are both good choices. When buying frozen and canned vegetables, choose those labeled as low sodium or without added salt.
To increase the number of servings you fit in daily, be creative. In a stir-fry, for instance, cut the amount of meat in half and double up on the vegetables.
Fruits: 4 to 5 servings a day
Many fruits need little preparation to become a healthy part of a meal or snack. Like vegetables, they’re packed with fiber, potassium and magnesium and are typically low in fat — coconuts are an exception.
Examples of one serving include one medium fruit, 1/2 cup fresh, frozen or canned fruit, or 4 ounces of juice.
Have a piece of fruit with meals and one as a snack, then round out your day with a dessert of fresh fruits topped with a dollop of low-fat yogurt.
Leave on edible peels whenever possible. The peels of apples, pears and most fruits add interesting texture to recipes and contain healthy nutrients and fiber.
Remember that citrus fruits and juices, such as grapefruit, can interact with certain medications, so check with your doctor or pharmacist to see if they’re OK for you.
If you choose canned fruit or juice, make sure no sugar is added.
Dairy: 2 to 3 servings a day
Milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products are major sources of calcium, vitamin D and protein. But the key is to make sure that you choose dairy products that are low-fat or fat-free because otherwise they can be a major source of fat — and most of it is saturated.
Examples of one serving include 1 cup skim or 1 percent milk, 1 cup low-fat yogurt, or 1 1/2 ounces part-skim cheese.
Low-fat or fat-free frozen yogurt can help you boost the amount of dairy products you eat while offering a sweet treat. Add fruit for a healthy twist.
If you have trouble digesting dairy products, choose lactose-free products or consider taking an over-the-counter product that contains the enzyme lactase, which can reduce or prevent the symptoms of lactose intolerance.
Go easy on regular and even fat-free cheeses because they are typically high in sodium.
Lean meat, poultry and fish: 6 one-ounce servings or fewer a day
Meat can be a rich source of protein, B vitamins, iron and zinc. Choose lean varieties and aim for no more than 6 one-ounce servings a day. Cutting back on your meat portion will allow room for more vegetables.
Examples of one serving include 1 egg or 1 ounce of cooked meat, poultry or fish.
Trim away skin and fat from poultry and meat and then bake, broil, grill or roast instead of frying in fat.
Eat heart-healthy fish, such as salmon, herring and tuna. These types of fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are healthy for your heart.
Nuts, seeds and legumes: 4 to 5 servings a week
Almonds, sunflower seeds, kidney beans, peas, lentils and other foods in this family are good sources of magnesium, potassium and protein.
They’re also full of fiber and phytochemicals, which are plant compounds that may protect against some cancers and cardiovascular disease.
Serving sizes are small and are intended to be consumed only a few times a week because these foods are higher in calories.
Examples of one serving include 1/3 cup nuts, 2 tablespoons seeds or nut butter, or 1/2 cup cooked beans or peas.
Nuts sometimes get a bad rap because of their fat content, but they contain healthy types of fat — monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts are high in calories, however, so eat them in moderation. Try adding them to stir-fries, salads or cereals.
Soybean-based products, such as tofu and tempeh, can be a good alternative to meat because they contain all of the amino acids your body needs to make a complete protein, just like meat.
Fats and oils: 2 to 3 servings a day
Fat helps your body absorb essential vitamins and helps your body’s immune system. But too much fat increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
The DASH diet strives for a healthy balance by limiting total fat to less than 30 percent of daily calories from fat, with a focus on the healthier monounsaturated fats.
Examples of one serving include 1 teaspoon soft margarine, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or 2 tablespoons salad dressing.
Saturated fat and trans fat are the main dietary culprits in increasing your risk of coronary artery disease. DASH helps keep your daily saturated fat to less than 6 percent of your total calories by limiting use of meat, butter, cheese, whole milk, cream and eggs in your diet, along with foods made from lard, solid shortenings, and palm and coconut oils.
Avoid trans fat, commonly found in such processed foods as crackers, baked goods and fried items.
Read food labels on margarine and salad dressing so that you can choose foods that are lowest in saturated fat and free of trans fat.
Sweets: 5 servings or fewer a week
You don’t have to banish sweets entirely while following the DASH diet — just go easy on them. Examples of one serving include 1 tablespoon sugar, jelly or jam, 1/2 cup sorbet, or 1 cup lemonade.
When you eat sweets, choose those that are fat-free or low-fat, such as sorbets, fruit ices, jelly beans, hard candy, graham crackers or low-fat cookies.
Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) and sucralose (Splenda) may help satisfy your sweet tooth while sparing the sugar. But remember that you still must use them sensibly. It’s OK to swap a diet cola for a regular cola, but not in place of a more nutritious beverage such as low-fat milk or even plain water.
Cut back on added sugar, which has no nutritional value but can pack on calories.
DASH diet: Alcohol and caffeine

Drinking too much alcohol can increase blood pressure. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that men limit alcohol to no more than two drinks a day and women to one or less.
The DASH diet doesn’t address caffeine consumption. The influence of caffeine on blood pressure remains unclear. But caffeine can cause your blood pressure to rise at least temporarily.

If you already have high blood pressure or if you think caffeine is affecting your blood pressure, talk to your doctor about your caffeine consumption.
DASH diet and weight loss

While the DASH diet is not a weight-loss program, you may indeed lose unwanted pounds because it can help guide you toward healthier food choices.
The DASH diet generally includes about 2,000 calories a day. If you’re trying to lose weight, you may need to eat fewer calories. You may also need to adjust your serving goals based on your individual circumstances — something your health care team can help you decide.

Tips to cut back on sodium

The foods at the core of the DASH diet are naturally low in sodium. So just by following the DASH diet, you’re likely to reduce your sodium intake. You also reduce sodium further by:

Using sodium-free spices or flavorings with your food instead of salt
Not adding salt when cooking rice, pasta or hot cereal
Rinsing canned foods to remove some of the sodium
Buying foods labeled “no salt added,” “sodium-free,” “low sodium” or “very low sodium”
One teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 mg of sodium. When you read food labels, you may be surprised at just how much sodium some processed foods contain.
Even low-fat soups, canned vegetables, ready-to-eat cereals and sliced turkey from the local deli — foods you may have considered healthy — often have lots of sodium.
You may notice a difference in taste when you choose low-sodium food and beverages. If things seem too bland, gradually introduce low-sodium foods and cut back on table salt until you reach your sodium goal. That’ll give your palate time to adjust.
Using salt-free seasoning blends or herbs and spices may also ease the transition. It can take several weeks for your taste buds to get used to less salty foods.
Putting the pieces of the DASH diet together

Try these strategies to get started on the DASH diet:
Change gradually. If you now eat only one or two servings of fruits or vegetables a day, try to add a serving at lunch and one at dinner. Rather than switching to all whole grains, start by making one or two of your grain servings whole grains. Increasing fruits, vegetables and whole grains gradually can also help prevent bloating or diarrhea that may occur if you aren’t used to eating a diet with lots of fiber. You can also try over-the-counter products to help reduce gas from beans and vegetables.
Reward successes and forgive slip-ups. Reward yourself with a nonfood treat for your accomplishments — rent a movie, purchase a book or get together with a friend. Everyone slips, especially when learning something new. Remember that changing your lifestyle is a long-term process. Find out what triggered your setback and then just pick up where you left off with the DASH diet.
Add physical activity. To boost your blood pressure lowering efforts even more, consider increasing your physical activity in addition to following the DASH diet. Combining both the DASH diet and physical activity makes it more likely that you’ll reduce your blood pressure.
Get support if you need it. If you’re having trouble sticking to your diet, talk to your doctor or dietitian about it. You might get some tips that will help you stick to the DASH diet.

Remember, healthy eating isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. What’s most important is that, on average, you eat healthier foods with plenty of variety — both to keep your diet nutritious and to avoid boredom or extremes. And with the DASH diet, you can have both.

 

 

Wikipedia Reports: DASH DIET needs more medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources.

The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a dietary pattern promoted by the U.S.-based National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services) to prevent and control hypertension. The DASH diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods. It includes meat, fish, poultry, nuts, and beans, and is limited in sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, red meat, and added fats. In addition to its effect on blood pressure, it is designed to be a well-balanced approach to eating for the general public. DASH is recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a healthy eating plan. The DASH diet is one of three healthy diets recommended in the 2015-2020 US Dietary Guidelines, which also include the Mediterranean diet or a vegetarian diet. The AHA considers the DASH diet «specific and well-documented across age, sex and ethnically diverse groups».
The DASH diet is based on NIH studies that examined three dietary plans and their results. None of the plans were vegetarian, but the DASH plan incorporated more fruits and vegetables, low fat or nonfat dairy, beans, and nuts than the others studied. The DASH diet reduced systolic blood pressure by 6 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 3 mm Hg in patients with high normal blood pressure (formerly called “pre-hypertension”). Those with hypertension dropped by 11 and 6 mm Hg, respectively. These changes in blood pressure occurred with no changes in body weight. The DASH dietary pattern is adjusted based on daily caloric intake ranging from 1,600 to 3,100 dietary calories. Although this diet is associated with a reduction of blood pressure and improvement of gout, there are uncertainties around whether its recommendation of low-fat dairy products is beneficial or detrimental. The diet is also advised to diabetic or obese individuals.
The DASH diet was further tested and developed in the Optimal Macronutrient Intake Trial for Heart Health (OmniHeart diet). “The DASH and DASH-sodium trials demonstrated that a carbohydrate-rich diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products and that is reduced in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol substantially lowered blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. OmniHeart demonstrated that partial replacement of carbohydrate with either protein (about half from plant sources) or with unsaturated fat (mostly monounsaturated fat) can further reduce blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and coronary heart disease risk.”
In January 2018, DASH was named the number 1 for “Best Diets Overall” for the eighth year in a row,, and also as “For Healthy Eating”, and “Best Heart-Healthy Diet”; and tied number 2 “For Diabetes”(out of 40 diets tested) in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Diets” rankings.
The DASH diet is similar to the Mediterranean diet and the AHA diet.

PROS and CONS

It’s Your Life, Take Care Of It…

PROS: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, has been voted as the best overall diet for several years…(DASH) was developed by a panel of experts at the National Institutes of Health to help Americans lower their blood pressure, but as it turns out it is also effective at weight loss as well.

CONS: DASH is not a weight loss plan for those looking for a “quick fix” solution. In the aforementioned U.S. News and World Report Best Diets rankings, DASH only ranked number nine for “best weight loss diets”. As with other diets, it must be adopted as a long-term lifestyle change in order to work.

All the information in this article is found in MAYO CLINIC, Wikipedia.

We do not endorse any product or research. It is up to you to make your own conclusion which is right for you.

 

 

 

food, Health, Nutrition

KETO DIET… Not all Hype

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Keto Diet

The ketogenic diet is all about eating the right foods in the right proportions. When you get it right, it’ll trigger your body to start burning stored fat.

Is it a Diet or is it a Lifestyle change? That’s the question… Are you seeking to medically repair an illness or weight loss permantely.

In the 1920’s it was medically introduced to treat epilepsy in children. Today it helps diabetics regulate their blood sugar levels. It’s also being introduced to cancer patients for weight control.

Yes, you can use it as a diet method and loose the weight you need and go back to the same old lifestyle. But, by returning to sugar and yeast you are creating a YO-YO diet lifestyle. It’s better to try and balance a nutrious diet.

What foods can you eat?

Ewoldt says:

  • nuts
  • seeds
  • full-fat cheese and other dairy products
  • plain Greek yogurt
  • non-starchy and fibrous vegetables
  • oils
  • along with smaller amounts of meats, eggs and fish, become keto diet mainstays.


You’ll need to sharply limit carbohydrates

  • bread and baked goods
  • sweets
  • pasta
  • breakfast cereals
  • starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes
  • corn and peas
  • beans
  • fruit
  • beer

Does it really work for weight loss?

Yes — but that answer comes with a qualifier. It takes two to three weeks on the diet to start fat burning (ketosis) in the body. So, don’t expect instant results. Some studies have shown that adhering to low- or very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets helps people lose weight. However, long term there is little difference between a ketogenic diet and a higher carbohydrate diet.

Ketogenic diet for Epilepsy

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control epilepsy in children and now for adults.

The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Normally, the carbohydrates contained in food are converted into glucose, which is then transported around the body and is particularly important in fueling brain function.

However, if little carbohydrate remains in the diet, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. The ketone bodies pass into the brain and replace glucose as an energy source.

An elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood, a state known as ketosis, leads to a reduction in the frequency of epileptic seizures.

Around half of children and young people with epilepsy who have tried some form of this diet saw the number of seizures drop by at least half, and the effect persists even after discontinuing the diet.

Some evidence indicates that adults with epilepsy may benefit from the diet, and that a less strict regimen, such as a modified Atkins diet, is similarly effective.

fitness and exercise, Health & Beauty, Nutrition

It’s Time to Take Control Of Your Weight

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Don’t let your weight hold you back from doing the things you want to do. It’s Time to Take Control Of Your Weight.

I have to admit I eat Healthy and that consists of No real junk food. I make all my own food. Going for Junk food is a treat that ends up making me feel sick afterwards.

If you eat as clean as possible and what I mean by that is keeping as many processed foods out of the equation. Low Sugar consumption, use honey or cane syrup for as much as possible, No Soda, No Energy Drinks, unless they are made fresh at home with all natural healthy ingredients. Or Like I said I pay the price. There is just too much sugar, added extra yeast and preservatives in so many products. It only adds to the demise of all goals.

You might find It hard and time consuming at first. But once you get the routine down there’s no problem. Get a crock pot or slow cooker if you work long hours. So it’s ready when you get home. Or you can cook most of your food on your days off. Bake your own bread and cookies from scratch. Make ice tea instead of soda. Or get fresh fruit and add fruit to the blender with water and keep in refrigerator.

If I want chocolate pudding I just make it from scratch. That way I know exactly what I am consuming and it’s healthy for me. There is real sugar, no aspartame or any other odd ingredient that causes illness. Just make your stuff from scratch not from a box. Or you will end up with too much of something that is not good for you.

Don’t get me wrong you can still go out to eat just choose wisely for your meals out and have protein instead of carbs. So more Steak, then deep fried mozzarella cheese sticks. Try and stay away from deep fried foods when you eat out. Going out to breakfast and having eggs, potatoes and meat. No Fast Food through a window. STAY AWAY!!! Go to a sit down restaurant and eat. Mexican food is great. Especially Soft Tacos with all the salsa and veggies. Salsa and Chips are excellent snack in-between meals.

I also consume 2 teaspoons of Bragg apple cider vinegar twice a day. That gives me energy and detox’s the body.

I have 3 dogs and I walk them 3 times a day, 7 days a week around my property. That keeps my legs in shape. I have strength bands that I use for my arms, back and belly. Very “Low” impact exercise.

Just remember to stop and think before you eat. That is the main trick. Have a pound of bacon or steak. Just leave the toast and pancakes out. Protein Diet Only.. Low Carbs. That does not mean you can’t snack or have a cookie or slice of fruit pie. Just make sure you made it from scratch…

DON”T DIET, JUST EAT RIGHT…

Health & Beauty, Nutrition, Recipes

Eating Clean Does Not Mean Starving Yourself

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23 Ways To Eat Clean

Replace processed, fake foods with these healthier clean eating foods.

Cleaner, healthier eating

Healthy eating isn’t always easy, especially with junk foods tempting you at the grocery store, corner deli, and even the office kitchen. Though clean eating at every meal isn’t always realistic, you can take steps to limit processed food. Here, we show how common foods morph from real (i.e. apples) to highly processed (apple toaster pastries).

Has YOUR Diet been High Jacked by the manufactures? The #1 reason your belly fat won’t go away is Hidden SUGAR! Manufactures have replaced sugar with Corn Syrup, Artificial Sugar Syrup and other sugar substitutes. Read your labels. Same for sodium. Your goal: Choose from natural foods as often as possible, go with foods that are somewhat processed in a pinch, and limit your intake of highly processed items to none.

1. Apples
1st choice (natural state): Apple
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Applesauce
Limit (highly processed): Apple toaster pastry
Shopping tip: While applesauce is a healthy choice, it has fewer nutrients than a whole apple.

2. Oranges
1st choice (natural state): Orange
2nd choice (somewhat processed): 100% orange juice
Limit (highly processed): Orange drink
Shopping tip: Many fruit drinks contain high fructose corn syrup and little real juice.

3. Strawberries
1st choice (natural state): Fresh strawberries
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Strawberry preserves
Limit to NONE (highly processed): Strawberry gelatin dessert
Shopping tip: Gelatin desserts usually contain artificial strawberry flavor, not real fruit.

4. Peaches
1st choice (natural state): Peach
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Canned peaches in 100% juice
Limit (highly processed): Canned peaches in heavy syrup
Shopping tip: Fruit canned in heavy syrup has more sugar and calories than fresh fruit.

5. Figs
1st choice (natural state): Fresh figs
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Fig preserves
Limit (highly processed): Fig sandwich cookies
Shopping tip: Packaged fruit cookies may contain refined sugar and preservatives.

6. Pineapple
1st choice (natural state): Pineapple
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Canned diced pineapple
Limit (highly processed): Pineapple cocktail cup
Shopping tip: Fresh pineapple is higher in vitamins C and A and beta-carotene than canned.

7. Corn
1st choice (natural state): Corn on the cob
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Corn tortilla chips
Limit (highly processed): Cornflakes
Shopping tip: Buy tortilla chips with just three ingredients: whole corn, oil, and salt—and eat in moderation with Fresh Homemade Salsa or Pica De Gallo.

8. Spinach
1st choice (natural state): Spinach
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Bagged prewashed spinach
Limit (highly processed): Frozen creamed spinach
Shopping tip: When buying frozen vegetables, avoid those packaged with sodium-rich sauces. Buy plain and add your own light sauce. (Is spinach healthier than kale? Find out in their Health Food Face-Off.)

9. Garlic
1st choice (natural state): Garlic
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Jarred minced garlic
Limit (highly processed): Bottled garlic marinade
Shopping tip: Minced fresh garlic is cheaper and more flavorful than jarred.

You Shouldn’t Toss Sprouted Garlic out. Plant it in your garden to keep pests away.

10. Carrots
1st choice (natural state): Carrots
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Baby carrots
Limit (highly processed): Frozen honey-glazed carrots
Shopping tip: Baby carrots are healthy but more expensive than regular-size loose carrots.

11. Soup
1st choice (natural state): Soup from scratch
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Canned soup
Limit (highly processed): Dehydrated soup mix
Shopping tip: Homemade soup often has less sodium and more flavor than canned.

12. HAM
1st choice (natural state): Heritage ham
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Deli ham
Limit (highly processed): Packaged deli bologna
Shopping tip: Heritage varieties of pork are much less likely to contain hormones than factory meat is.

13. Turkey
1st choice (natural ttate): Whole turkey
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Deli turkey
Limit (highly processed): Store-bought turkey meatballs
Shopping tip: If you buy turkey and other meats at the deli counter, ask for brands free of fillers and nitrates.

14. Beef
1st choice (natural state): Grass-fed beef
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Grain-fed beef
Limit (highly processed): Frozen beef patties
Shopping tip: Grass-fed meat is higher in nutrients and lower in fat than grain-fed beef.

15. Chicken
1st choice (natural state): Fresh chicken breasts
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Deli sliced chicken
Limit (highly processed): Chicken nuggets
Shopping tip: Chicken nuggets contain very little real chicken.

16. Eggs
1st choice (natural state): Pasture-raised eggs
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Omega-3-fortified eggs
Limit (highly processed): Egg beaters
Shopping Tip: Pasture-raised eggs may have 35% less saturated fat, 60% more vitamin A, and 200% more omega-3s compared to omega-3-fortified eggs and egg beaters, which come from chickens kept in coops.

17. Cream
1st choice (natural state): Cream
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Fat-free half cream / half milk
Limit (highly processed): Flavored dairy creamer
Shopping tip: Flavored dairy creamers are often made with colorings, artificial flavors, and corn syrup.

18. Yogurt
1st choice (natural state): Organic 100% Natural Plain yogurt no sugar added with Fresh Fruit
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Flavored yogurt
Limit (highly processed): Flavored yogurt drink
Shopping tip: Buy plain yogurt and flavor it at home with honey or fresh fruit.

19. Bread
1st choice (natural state): Whole grain bread
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Wheat bread
Limit (highly processed): Fortified white bread
Shopping tip: If a whole grain isn’t the first ingredient, you’re missing out on nutrients.
20. Pasta
1st choice (natural state): Dried whole wheat pasta
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Dried white pasta
Limit (highly processed): Instant noodles, Simen, Mac & Cheese
Shopping tip: Whole grain pasta is higher in antioxidants than white or instant noodles.

21. Brown
1st choice (natural state): Brown rice
2nd choice (somewhat processed): White rice
Limit (highly processed): Flavored instant rice
Shopping tip: Brown rice, unlike white, hasn’t had its fiber-rich layers of bran and germ removed.

22. Peanuts
1st choice (natural state): Peanuts
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Natural peanut butter
Limit (highly processed): Processed peanut butter
Shopping tip: Natural peanut butter should contain only peanuts and a dash of salt.

23. Soy
1st choice (natural state): Fresh edamame (whole soybeans)
2nd choice (somewhat processed): Tofu
Limit (highly processed): Frozen veggie burgers (containing soy ingredients)
Shopping tip: Frozen veggie burgers are vegetarian-friendly but are highly processed.

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It has been shown that eating a correct diet of clean foods can lessen the impact of depression and several other illnesses.

 

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Health & Beauty, Nutrition, Video

Sex and Sugar: How Sweets Affect Your Libido

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By Chad Rhodes August 9, 2017

Sexual Dysfunction and Sugar

Your performance in the bedroom depends on your choices in the kitchen. Research has proven that sugar intake could and is related to sexual dysfunction. Depending on how much sugar you consume between regular sugar and sugary products. Soda, cereal, and the list goes down to how much sugar in your coffee.

Video by The List – Women’s Lifestyle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ia0xPDcY5k

Can Too Much Fat or Sugar in Your Diet Cause Erectile Dysfunction?

How to separate fact from fiction

by: Cleveland Clinic

There’s a lot of advice out there about the ways a man’s diet can limit him when it comes to having children. We asked urologist Edmund Sabanegh, MD, Chairman of Urology and Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Male Fertility, to help us separate fact from fiction.

Here are his answers to several of the most common questions about links between diet and erectile dysfunction (ED) or male infertility.

Q: Can my food choices cause ED?

A: High-fat diets and higher cholesterol levels are correlated with ED, which is largely caused by clogs in the small blood vessels. So the same things that cause heart disease can lead to ED. In fact, ED can often be the first sign of heart disease.

RELATED: Risk Factors for Erectile Dysfunction

Q: Can drinking sugary sodas or eating a lot of sugar cause male infertility?

A: Eating or drinking a lot of sugar can lead to obesity, which is a risk factor for diabetes. Poorly controlled diabetes can impact male fertility. Obesity can also cause changes to many hormones including testosterone, which can also lower fertility.

Q: Can eating fatty foods contribute to infertility?

A: Diets that are high in fat seem to be associated with infertility. There are several studies to suggest this.

One study, in particular, compared young men who ate a Western diet to those who ate what the researchers called a “prudent” diet. The Western diet consisted of things like red meat and pizza. The prudent diet was fish, chicken, vegetables and whole grains. Those on the prudent diet had improved fertility and better sperm motility in general.

Q: Do I need to avoid sugary or fatty foods completely if I want to conceive or if I’m concerned about ED?

A: Fertility and erectile function are products of your overall health. One sugary soda or fatty meal here and there isn’t a problem. It’s an issue when you have a regular pattern of taking in high-fat or sugary food or drinks.

Q: Can pesticides from produce that isn’t organic lead to male infertility?

A: There’s evidence that workers exposed to pesticides can have lower fertility, but it’s hard to trace how much pesticide is in store-bought fruits and vegetables. What we do know is that pesticides, in general, can affect sperm count and motility in high enough doses.

Q: Is there a link between processed meats and male infertility?

A: Meats in general are high in fat and fat is an issue. Processed meats are higher in nitrates, which we believe can also affect the sperm.

RELATED: 7 Choices That Keep Your Sperm Healthy

Q: Are there other foods I should avoid when trying to conceive?

A: Foods that contain phytoestrogens, such as soy products, can change your estrogen levels and potentially lower fertility.

You also need to be careful about androgen supplements, bodybuilding agents and testosterone supplements. The World Health Organization is actually looking at testosterone as a potential male contraceptive because it turns off sperm production. So talk to your doctor before taking any type of supplement.

Q: Are there certain foods I should eat when trying to conceive?

A: Foods that are high in antioxidants, such as fruits and vegetables, may improve fertility in males. 

Q: I’ve heard that caffeine can cause male infertility. Is that true?

A: I don’t believe caffeine is a significant issue unless you’re a very high consumer.

RELATED: Male Infertility: Helping You Sort Fact From Fiction

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Health & Beauty

DETOXING THE RIGHT AND SAFE WAY

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DETOXING THE RIGHT AND SAFE WAY


To get the most out of ionic detox, it is important to take in specific nutrients that will help the body better function to release toxins through urination, defecation and sweating. The goal is to bring the body back to optimal health.

Required for everyone:

  • Drink eleven glasses of water (2/3 of a gallon or 2.5 liters) of pure water (preferably pH 9.0 to 10.0) daily. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits (limit sweet fruits, wash thoroughly) and grains.
  • During an ionic detox protocol, it is important to consume enough fiber, both soluble and insoluble. This rejuvenates the colon and accelerates the elimination of toxins from the body. It is very important for boosting immunity. The best sources of fiber are whole foods (fruits, vegetables and grains.) Because it is not always possible to get enough fiber this way, one can take a scoop of fiber supplement 5 minutes before breakfast and dinner with a large glass of water. 100% Natural USDA certified organic fiber supplement that naturally supports cleansing for a healthy digestive environment. It helps entrap toxins such as metals, lead, mercury and other environmental pollutants with the gastrointestinal tract for removal from the body. Natural Fiber resists breakdown and fermentation by intestinal flora and will not re-circulate toxins into the body.
  • Most likely, some good minerals will become depleted during each detox session. Therefore, it is important to always take a highly absorbable mineral supplement. For ladies, the replenishment of minerals is a must.

 

Recommended for everyone:

  • To improve the function of the immune system, colon and to increase the absorption of nutrients, take 3 capsules per day of probiotics, preferably 100% Natural plant based broad spectrum formulae, that includes a higher lactobacillus strain.
  • Digestive enzymes are energized protein molecules essential for the digestion of food, brain stimulation, cell, tissue & organ repair and generating cellular energy. These enzymes are secreted along the gastrointestinal tract and break down food in the body so that nutrients can be absorbed properly. Digestive enzymes are also present in the food we eat but they are inactivated when cooked. They are “turned off” at a dry-heat temperature of 150°F (65°C) and a wet temperature of 118°F (48°C). If our body relies too much on its own digestive enzymes, the result is more stress placed on our systems and organs. This leaves less time and energy for other jobs such as rebuilding and replacing damaged cells & tissues and keeping the immune system strong. When one eats plenty of raw foods and takes a high quality whole food enzyme supplement such as during meals, this can help avoid depletion of the body’s own enzymes, thereby reducing stress.
  • Omega-3 fish oil is an important part of an ionic detox program because it helps the body to balance at a healthy lipid level, helps with cardiovascular health, boosts immunity and has numerous other health benefits. Unless the fish oil is pharmaceutical grade and molecularly distilled, it is likely to contain high levels of hazardous contaminants. We recommend taking Fish Oil with breakfast and dinner (depending on tolerance) during the ionic detox protocol.

READ MORE on DETOXING in HEALTH & BEAUTY section

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Health & Beauty, Reviews

Don’t Be Fooled By The EGGS Cover… Yummy for your Tummy and Body

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Don’t Be Fooled By The EGGS Cover…
Eggs are so nutritious that they’re often referred to as “nature’s multivitamin.”

They also have unique antioxidants and powerful brain nutrients that many people are deficient in.

Here are some reasons why eggs are among the healthiest foods on the planet.

  • Whole Eggs Are Among The Most Nutritious Foods on Earth
  • One whole egg contains an amazing range of nutrients.
  • Just imagine… the nutrients in there are enough to turn a single fertilized cell into an entire baby chicken.
  • Eggs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, high quality proteins, good fats and various other lesser-known nutrients.
  • One large egg contains (1):
  • Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin): 9% of the RDA.
  • Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 15% of the RDA.
  • Vitamin A: 6% of the RDA.
  • Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): 7% of the RDA.
  • Selenium: 22% of the RDA.

Eggs also contain small amounts of almost every vitamin and mineral required by the human body… including calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, manganese, Vitamin E, Folate and many more.

A large egg contains 77 calories, with 6 grams of quality protein, 5 grams of fat and trace amounts of carbohydrates.

It’s very important to realize that almost all the nutrients are contained in the yolk, the white contains only protein.

That should make you want to eat eggs right now. But here are some more reasons why Eggs are the Healthiest Food on Earth.

  • Eggs Improve Your Cholesterol Profile and do NOT Raise Your Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
  • The main reason people have been warned about eggs is that they’re loaded with cholesterol.
  • One large egg contains 212 mg of cholesterol, which is a LOT compared to most other foods.
    However, just because a food contains cholesterol doesn’t mean that it will raise the bad cholesterol in the blood.
  • The liver actually produces cholesterol, every single day. If you eat cholesterol, then your liver produces less. If you don’t eat cholesterol, then your liver produces more of it.
  • The thing is, many studies show that eggs actually improve your cholesterol profile.
  • Eggs tend to raise HDL (the “good”) cholesterol and they tend to change the LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol to a large subtype which is not associated with an increased risk of heart disease (2, 3, 4).
  • One study discovered that 3 whole eggs per day reduced insulin resistance, raised HDL and increased the size of LDL particles in men and women with metabolic syndrome (5).
  • Multiple studies have examined the effects of egg consumption on the risk of cardiovascular disease and found no association between the two (6, 7, 8).

However, some studies do show an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients. This needs further research though and probably doesn’t apply on a low-carb diet, which can in many cases reverse type II diabetes (9, 10, 11).

Bottom Line: Studies show that eggs actually improve the cholesterol profile. They raise HDL (the good) cholesterol and increase the size of LDL particles, which should lower the risk of heart disease.

Eggs Are Loaded With Choline, an Important Nutrient For The Brain

  • Choline is a lesser-known nutrient that is often grouped with the B-complex vitamins.
  • Choline is an essential nutrient for human health and is needed for various processes in the body.
  • It is required to synthesize the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and is also a component of cell membranes.
  • A low choline intake has been implicated in liver diseases, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders (12).
  • This nutrient may be especially important for pregnant women. Studies show that a low choline intake can raise the risk of neural tube defects and lead to decreased cognitive function in the offspring (13).
  • In a dietary survey in the U.S. from 2003-2004, over 90% of people ate less than the daily recommended amount of choline (14)!
  • The best sources of choline in the diet are egg yolks and beef liver. One large egg contains 113 mg of Choline.

 

Eggs Contain High Quality Proteins With a Perfect Amino Acid Profile

  • Proteins are the main building blocks of the body and serve both structural and functional purposes.
  • They consist of amino acids that are linked together, kind of like beads on a string, then folded into complex shapes.
  • There are about 21 amino acids that the body uses to build its proteins.
  • The body can not produce 9 of these amino acids, which are deemed as “essential” and must be gotten from the diet.
  • The quality of a protein source is determined by its relative amounts of these essential amino acids. A protein source that contains all of them in the right ratios is a good source of protein.
  • Eggs are among the best sources of protein in the diet. In fact, the biological value (a measure of protein quality) is often evaluated by comparing it to eggs, which are given the perfect score of 100.

Eggs Are Loaded With Lutein and Zeaxanthin, Which Protect The Eyes

  • There are two antioxidants in eggs that can have powerful protective effects on the eyes.
  • They are called Lutein and Zeaxanthin, both found in the yolk.
  • Lutein and Zeaxanthin tend to accumulate in the retina, the sensory part of the eye.
  • These antioxidants significantly reduce the risk of Macular Degeneration and Cataracts, which are among the leading causes of vision impairment and blindness in the elderly (15, 16, 17).
  • In one study, eating 1.3 egg yolks per day for 4.5 weeks increased blood levels of Zeaxanthin by 114-142% and Lutein by 28-50% (18).

 

Eggs For Breakfast Can Help You Lose Body Fat

  • Eggs contain only trace amounts of carbohydrates, but plenty of protein and fat.
  • They score very high on a scale called the Satiety Index, which is a measure of how much foods contribute to satiety (19).
  • For this reason, it is not surprising to see studies where eating eggs for breakfast leads to fat loss.
  • In one study, 30 overweight or obese women consumed either a breakfast of eggs or a breakfast of bagels. Both breakfasts had the same amount of calories.
  • The women in the egg group felt more full and ate less calories for the rest of the day and for the next 36 hours (20).

In another study that went on for 8 weeks, eating eggs for breakfast lead to significant weight improvements compared to the same amount of calories from bagels. The egg group (21):

  • Lost 65% more body weight.
  • Lost 16% more body fat.
  • Had a 61% greater reduction in BMI.
  • Had a 34% greater reduction in waist circumference (a good marker for the dangerous abdominal fat).

Not All Eggs Are The Same

It’s important to keep in mind that not all eggs are created equal.

Hens are often raised in factories, caged and fed grain-based feed that alters the final nutrient composition of the eggs. It is best to buy Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs, they are more nutritious and healthier.

However, conventional supermarket eggs are still a good choice if you can’t afford or access the others.

To top things off, eggs are cheap, taste awesome and go with almost any food.

Eggs really are an egg-ceptional super-food.

Eggs Scrambled with Onion, Garlic and Sweet Cherry Tomatoes

Servings: 1

Sauté 1/4 sweet onion and a smashed garlic clove over medium-high heat in 1 teaspoon canola or olive oil until almost soft. Add a handful of chopped tomatoes to the pan (or any other vegetables you happen to have, such as chopped spinach, kale, mushrooms or peppers) and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn down the heat to very low. In a separate bowl, whisk two eggs. Pour eggs into the pan containing the onion, garlic and tomato — add 1 ounce low-fat cheese, if you wish. Stir continuously until eggs are cooked. Pour over toasted, whole rye bread. Bon Appitite…

American Egg Board   http://www.incredibleegg.org/

 

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Health & Beauty

Fermented Foods May Be a Key Component of an Anti-Cancer Diet

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By Dr. Mercola

Slowly but surely, scientists are increasingly starting to focus on the influence of nutrition on cancer. Mounting evidence supports the notion that a diet high in healthy fats and low in net carbohydrates (total carbs minus fiber, i.e. non-fiber carbs) may significantly lower your risk by improving mitochondrial and metabolic function.

Fermented foods are also gaining recognition as an important anti-cancer adjunct. The beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods have been shown particularly effective for suppressing colon cancer, but may also inhibit cancers of the breast, liver, small intestine and other organs.

For example, butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid created when microbes ferment dietary fiber in your gut, has been shown to induce programmed cell death of colon cancer cells,1 and cultured milk products may reduce your risk of bladder cancer by about 29 percent.2

Cultured Raw Milk Does Your Body Good

In the case of cultured dairy, lactobcillus and bifidobacterium are primary sources of probiotics in cultured milk products, and these beneficial bacteria have been shown to induce changes reflecting an increase in carbohydrate metabolism.

Both of these bacteria also facilitate excretion of toxins such as Bisphenol A (BPA), and lactobacillus strains in particular may help prevent heavy metal toxicity by binding and excreting these metals.

They’ve even been shown to reduce the toxicity of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HCA) — cancer causing compounds found in charred meats.3

Kimchi (a Korean fermented cabbage dish) contains probiotics shown to help with the detoxification of organophosphorus pesticides. It also breaks down sodium nitrate, a food preservative associated with increased cancer risk.4
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Microbial Metabolism Can Influence Your Cancer Risk

Research by Johanna Lampe, Ph.D., at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center suggests microbial metabolism may affect your cancer risk for better or worse in many different ways, by influencing:5,6

DNA repair Carcinogen metabolism / detoxification Hormone regulation Inflammation
Immune function Apoptosis (programmed cell death) Microbial proliferation Microbial differentiation

Moreover, your gut microbiome — which contains 100 times as many genes as your body’s total genome — is involved in important chemical reactions that your gut enzymes cannot perform, including fermentation and sulfate reduction.

Importantly, your gut microbiome helps generate new compounds (bacterial metabolites) that can have either a beneficial or detrimental impact on your health.

On the upside, some of these compounds act as sources of energy and/or help regulate your metabolism and reduce inflammation. Others can cause oxidative stress.7

Food components known to produce beneficial bacterial metabolites include dietary fiber, plant lignans, anthocyanins and linoleic acid, just to name a few.

As noted by Lampe, “availability of nutrients or bioactive substances important for health can be influenced by gut microbiota,” and “understanding the impact of the bacterial metabolites on regulatory pathways may help guide future diet and cancer prevention strategies.”8
Chronic Inflammation Raises Your Risk for Cancer

Reducing inflammation is one important anti-cancer feature of fermented foods. As explained by Stephanie Maxson, senior clinical dietitian at MD Anderson’s Integrative Medicine Center, “Prolonged inflammation can damage your body’s healthy cells and tissue, and weaken your immune system.”

And, since your immune system is the first line of defense, a weakened immune system is what allows for diseases such as cancer to get a foothold in the first place; hence, reducing inflammation is a foundational aspect of cancer prevention.

One group of microbes that appear important for maintaining healthy immune function is the clostridial group of microbes. Ironically enough, this group is related to clostridium difficile, which can cause severe and life-threatening intestinal infections.

But whereas C. difficile prompts chronic inflammation, the clostridial clusters actually help maintain a healthy and well-functioning gut barrier, preventing inflammatory agents from entering your bloodstream.9 Factors that promote chronic inflammation in your body include but are not limited to:

  • Obesity
  • Smoking
  • Stress
  • Lack of exercise
  • Poor dietary choices

Inflammation and Microbiome Also Play a Role in Type 1 Diabetes

The connection between your microbiome and inflammation has also become evident in type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent diabetes) which, contrary to type 2 diabetes, is an autoimmune disorder.

The root cause of type 1 diabetes has been a medical mystery, but more recent research suggests the disease may be rooted in gut dysfunction. As reported by Medical News Today:10

“[I]ndividuals with type 1 diabetes show increased intestinal permeability and changes in the microvilli, which are microscopic, finger-like projections from the gut lining. Although the reasons behind these modifications are unclear, errant gut bacteria are currently the prime suspects.”

To investigate the impact gut bacteria may have on the development of type 1 diabetes, Italian researchers examined the gut flora and inflammation levels in 54 type 1 diabetics.

All had endoscopies and biopsies taken from their duodenum, the early section of the intestinal tract, and all were on a similar diet at the time of the procedures. The results revealed they had significantly more inflammation than healthy controls and even patients diagnosed with celiac disease.

Their gut flora was also significantly different, with fewer proteobacteria (a group of organisms that includes escherichia, which help produce vitamin K, and salmonella, which is associated with food poisoning) and higher levels of firmicutes (a group of bacteria that include bacilli and streptococcus). According to the featured article:11

“The next step will be to understand whether the changes in the gut are caused by type 1 diabetes or vice versa. Either way, the study marks a step forward in our understanding of this condition.

As Piemonti notes: ‘We don’t know if type 1 diabetes’ signature effect on the gut is caused by or the result of the body’s own attacks on the pancreas.

By exploring this, we may be able to find new ways to treat the disease by targeting the unique gastrointestinal characteristics of individuals with type 1 diabetes.'”

Key Features of an Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Cancer Diet

Many cancer experts, including MD Anderson’s Integrative Medicine Center and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) now promote anti-inflammatory diets, placing focus on:12

  • Organic plant foods and traditionally fermented and cultured foods. AICR recommends making sure at least two-thirds of your plate are plant foods, and to eat at least one small serving of fermented food each day.
  • Limiting processed foods and eating a diet of whole, fresh foods cooked from scratch instead.
  • Avoiding sodas, sport drinks and other sugary beverages, including fruit juices.
  • Balancing your omega-3 and omega-6 ratios. For most, this means increasing your intake of animal-based omega-3 from fatty fish low in mercury and other contaminants, such as wild-caught Alaskan salmon, anchovies and sardines, and reducing consumption of omega-6 fats, abundant in refined vegetable oils (fried foods and processed foods).
  • Limiting red meat and avoiding processed meats (such as deli meats, bacon, sausage, hot dogs and pepperoni). To lower your protein consumption — which can be an important factor in everything from premature aging to cancer — consider replacing some of the red meat you eat with fish instead, which is lower in protein.

Gut Bacteria Mediate Your Risk for Certain Types of Colon Cancer

Eating a plant-based, fiber-rich diet is key for preventing colon cancer in particular, and the reason for this is directly related to the way fiber affects your gut microbiome. As recently reported by Medical News Today:13

“Studies have shown that a diet high in red and processed meats may increase the risk of colorectal cancer, while a high-fiber diet — rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains — has been associated with a lower risk of the disease. Previous research has suggested that one way by which diet influences the risk of colorectal cancer is through the changes it makes to the gut microbiome (the population of microorganisms that live in the intestine).

The new study from Dr. [Shuji] Ogino and team supports this association, after finding that individuals who followed a high-fiber diet were at a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer tumors containing the bacterium F. nucleatum.”

F. nucleatum has been shown to be prevalent in the stool of people who eat a Western-style, low-fiber diet, and these people also have a higher risk of colon cancer. “We theorized that the link between a prudent diet and reduced colorectal cancer risk would be more evident for tumors enriched with F. nucleatum than for those without it,” Ogino says.

To test this theory, the team analyzed health and nutritional data from more than 137,200 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. They then analyzed tumor samples obtained from participants who developed colorectal cancer during the study, to ascertain whether F. nucleatum was present.
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Food frequency questionnaires, which participants filled out at two- to four-year intervals, were used to calculate nutrient and fiber intake. Participants who ate a “prudent” diet, defined as being high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes, had a significantly reduced risk of colorectal cancer-containing F. nucleatum, compared to those who ate a Western-style, low-fiber diet.

That said, the prudent diet did not affect the risk of developing colorectal cancer that was free of F. nucleatum. According to Ogino, these findings “point to a much broader phenomenon — that intestinal bacteria can act in concert with diet to reduce or increase the risk of certain types of colorectal cancer.”14

Which Fermented Foods Have the Greatest Impact on Your Microbiome?

In a recent episode of the BBC “Trust Me, I’m a Doctor” program, 30 volunteers agreed to eat a certain type of fermented food for one month, to see how it would affect their gut microbiome. The volunteers were split into three groups, receiving either a commercial probiotic drink, traditionally fermented kefir or inulin-rich foods such as Jerusalem artichokes, chicory root, onions, garlic and leek. (Inulin is a prebiotic fiber.) As reported by the BBC:15

“What we found at the end of our study was fascinating. The group consuming the probiotic drink saw a small change in one bacteria type known to be good for weight management, bacteria called lachnospiraceae. However, this change wasn’t statistically significant. But our other two groups did see significant changes. The group eating foods rich in prebiotic fiber saw a rise in a type of bacteria known to be good for general gut health — something that is in line with other studies.

Our biggest change, however, was in the kefir group. These volunteers saw a rise in a family of bacteria called lactobacillales. We know that some of these bacteria are good for our overall gut health and that they can help conditions such as traveler’s diarrhea and lactose intolerance.”

Store-Bought Versus Homemade

Next, the BBC team sent out a variety of homemade and store-bought fermented foods and beverages for laboratory testing, which revealed “striking differences” in microbial composition. Not surprisingly, the store-bought versions contained very minute levels of beneficial bacteria, while the homemade versions were rich in a wide array of probiotics.

One of the primary reasons for this difference has to do with the fact that commercial products are pasteurized to prolong shelf-life and ensure safety, and pasteurization kills the very bacteria the products are supposed to supply.

This is precisely why I strongly recommend making sure you’re buying traditionally fermented, unpasteurized products or, better yet, make them yourself. It’s far easier than you might think, and can save you a lot of money to boot. For basic instructions, see my previous article, “How to Make Your Own Fermented Vegetables,” or watch the video demonstration below.

Nourish Your Microbiome to Optimize Your Health

Mounting research suggests that your microbiome — colonies of bacteria, viruses and other microbes living in your gut — may be one of the preeminent factors determining your health and longevity.

Hence, feeding beneficial gut bacteria with a healthy, fiber-rich diet and fermented foods, and boycotting processed foods and animal foods raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) — both of which tend to have an adverse effect on your microbiome — may be keystone strategies for optimal health and disease prevention, including cancer.
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