Rather Be Healthy

The state of Washington appears to be leading the charge these days in the fight for honest food labeling, as two new pieces of legislation are now being considered that would require the labeling of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) in food. I-522, also known as The People’s Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, and House Bill 1407 both tackle the GMO labeling issue head on, the former at the state level and the latter at the local level, and Washington voters will soon have the opportunity to let their voices be heard on these two proposed laws.

As we reported just after the turn of the new year, proponents of GMO labeling in Washington have already successfully gathered more than 350,000 petition signatures, exceeding the minimum number required by more than 100,000, to get I-522 on the 2013 ballot. This means Washington voters will have the opportunity this coming fall to vote in favor of the initiative which, if passed, will require that all foods produced using GMOs and sold within the state be properly labeled. (http://www.naturalnews.com)

And in the event that this initiative ends up getting railroaded like Proposition 37 did in California last fall, HB 1407 will allow local communities to decide for themselves how to handle both the labeling and cultivation of GMOs in their areas. Introduced by Representative Cary Condotta, a Republican from Washington’s 12th District, HB 1407 specifically provisions that local governments will be free to regulate GMOs however they see fit, independently from whatever the state decides to do.

“When we saw San Juan do this, we thought it was great, so we see this on a different path than I-522 but we made sure to put a provision in HB 1407 that none of it would override I-522,” explained Rep. Condotta about the proposed legislation, comparing it to the recent passage of Measure No. 2012-4, which banned the cultivation of GMOs in Washington’s San Juan County. “So if the labeling bill passes, all food will still be labeled statewide. This just give the local level even more control.”

HB 1407 would recognize right of local communities to label, ban GMOs
This two-pronged approach to GMO labeling is groundbreaking, as it addresses some of the failures of other GMO labeling proposals in other states. And particularly with HB 1407, the decentralization of power in matters relating to GMOs will help prevent corporate interests from hijacking efforts to increase food labeling transparency at the local level.

“It is within the jurisdiction of the local legislative authority to determine the parameters of regulation, which may include the production, use, advertising, sale, distribution, storage, transportation, formulation, packaging, labeling, certification, registration, propagation, cultivation, raising, or growing of genetically modified organisms,” explains HB 1407.

Both bills are uniquely important because, together, they will procure the legal framework needed to ensure that the people of Washington, and not the biotechnology industry, are the ones calling the shots when it comes to GMO policy.

To learn more about I-522, visit: http://www.labelitwa.org/

To learn more about HB 1407, visit: http://apps.leg.wa.gov

Sources for this article include:

Label It Wa

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039078_Washington_state_GMO_labeling_campaign.html#ixzz2KmAN0Jqk

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Argentina’s regime leader Kirchner freezes food prices, pushes country toward food shortages and riots

A few days ago, Argentina’s populist female president Cristina Kirchner ordered a price freeze on food products. This price freeze was levied against the largest food retailers in the country, and it is just the latest example of utterly insane economic policies made by populist national leaders who inevitably end up causing massive suffering and economic damage to the nations they claim to lead.

In case you’re not familiar with Kirchner, this woman is a mafia-style criminal, a populist political hustler who has, for years, fabricated economic data to claim Argentina has low inflation. (In truth, the inflation rate there is over 25%.) She has been caught using government-created money to pay off political bribes. She has been slapped on the wrist by the IMF for falsifying economic data, and now she is about to thrust her country into nationwide food shortages that may very well be followed by riots.

The people of Argentina deserve better than Kirchner. Argentinians are, by and large, extremely friendly and capable people, yet they have suffered under the most absurd dictatorial rulers for at least a generation, possibly longer. Kirchner is just the latest in a long line of thuggish betrayers of the people who elected her.

“Cristina Kirchner’s Argentina illustrates an alarming trend. Her government has expropriated major foreign investors, falsified statistics, destroyed central bank independence , used the nation’s currency reserves for political payoffs, and faces default,” writes Paul Roderick Gregory at Forbes.com

Welcome to the land of populist governments led by charismatic people who have no clue whatever how economies work. These national leaders are a disgrace to humanity, and nations like Argentina would be far better served if they through Kirchner in prison rather than listening to any more of her delusional economic demands.

For starters, the price freeze means that food importers will halt most imports because they would lose money by selling their food at the prices ordered by the government. So the price freeze results in immediate food shortages.

But people still need food, obviously, so they begin to seek out black market sources of food sold at actual market prices. This causes a mass diversion of purchasing behavior away from the grocery stores to “food smugglers” who inevitably create complex systems of corruption and criminality in order to deliver the products that people want.

Think of this as “food prohibition.” Any time a government enacts prohibition of something the people really want, it inevitably creates a criminal black market, complete with payoffs and violence. The Kirchner regime can then point to these black market operations and blame them for all the results of Kirchner’s own failed economic policies. Whatever goes wrong in Argentina, she will blame it on “the black market gangs” that have defied her insane government dictates. (If this sounds familiar, it’s because in the USA, Obama blames all his failures on “terrorists.”)

Insane tyrants seek power at any cost
With tyrants like Kirchner, it’s always about staying in power at any cost to society. No matter how many people must suffer, starve or be imprisoned, Kirchner is going to shore up her own power, even if it means destroying the very country she claims to be serving.

Right now, she’s also attacking Argentina’s largest newspaper conglomerate, Grupo Clarin SA, by outlawing grocery store advertising in the newspapers! This move is wholly designed to bankrupt the newspaper as punishment for the publishing of accurate inflation numbers that Kirchner has now cursed upon Argentina.

And this is how it goes, you see: Much like as we see with Obama in the USA, Kirchner is willing to destroy her own nation’s economy as long as she terminates a few political opponents along the way. With tyrants like Kirchner — and everyone else who seeks total domination over the population — it’s an endless game of destruction, and much like in the USA, everybody pays the price for the arrogance and shamelessness of the top political leader.

Argentina today, America tomorrow
If you’re wondering what all this has to do with you, listen up: Argentina is smaller reflection of what’s happening on a much larger scale globally. Everywhere around the world, governments are lying to the People about unemployment numbers, inflation numbers and national debts. Just like in Argentina, top political leaders routinely use their power to crush their political opponents, no matter what the cost to society. And just like with Kirchner, political tyrants everywhere will do absolutely anything to stay in power, even if it means announcing government mandates to be enforced at gunpoint.

Kirchner, like many other dictatorial tyrants throughout history, is an egomaniacal murdering criminal who is best dealt with through the use of a short rope and a tall tree. The best message Kirchner could possibly announce to her countrymen at this point would be the message that is broadcast by having a corrupt, criminal regime ex-tyrant swinging in the breeze without a pulse. Only then will the hard-working people of Argentina get what they truly deserve: SOMEONE ELSE other than Kirchner at the helm.

Let it be known that the day the Kirchner regime is removed from power — and this evil woman is marched through the streets to face the people whose lives she has ruined — will be a day of great celebration for liberty and justice around the world. To all those in Argentina who are right now fighting against the criminal regime of Kirchner, let it be known that there are many of us here in the USA who are praying and cheering for your victory against tyranny.

May you achieve victory and rid yourself of the putrid parasite known as Kirchner.

Sources for this story include:
Argentinians protest against their government, corruption and crime
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/09/argentinians-protest-corr…

The Kirchner couple government “is corroded by corruption”
http://en.mercopress.com/2010/10/12/the-kirchner-couple-government-is…

Corruption All-Stars

Corruption All-Stars

The IMF Has Put Argentina On The Road To The Worst Punishment It Can Possibly Give
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-imf-has-censures-argentina-2013-2

Days After Freezing Prices, Argentina Bans All Advertising
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-02-09/after-freezing-prices-argent…

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039030_Argentina_Cristina_Kirchner_price_freeze.html#ixzz2KbGmOjca

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Fruits are loaded with healthy antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, which is why eating them in moderation is fine for healthy people. However, many benefit by restricting their fruit intake.

Fructose, a simple sugar found in fruit, is preferentially metabolized to fat in your liver, and eating large amounts has been linked to negative metabolic and endocrine effects. So eating very large amounts – or worse, nothing but fruit– can logically increase your risk of a number of health conditions, from insulin and leptin resistance to cancer.

For example, research has shown that pancreatic tumor cells use fructose, specifically, to divide and proliferate, thus speeding up the growth and spread of the cancer.

As a general health rule, I recommend limiting your total fructose consumption to about 25 grams per day on average, and that includes fructose from fruit. However, if you have insulin resistance, heart disease, cancer or high blood pressure, you may want to cut it down to 15 grams or less.

Kutcher Lands in Hospital After Adopting All-Fruit Diet

Actor Ashton Kutcher recently disclosed health issues brought on by following an all-fruit diet,1 adopted in preparation to play the character of Steve Jobs in the upcoming film “Jobs,” due out April 19.

Jobs had adopted an all-fruit diet in his younger days, and even the brand he co-founded – Apple – was a nod to his dietary obsession. Kutcher recently told USA Today:2

“First of all, the fruitarian diet can lead to like severe issues. I went to the hospital like two days before we started shooting the movie. I was like doubled over in pain. My pancreas levels were completely out of whack. It was really terrifying … considering everything.”

The “everything” is likely a reference to pancreatic cancer – the disease that killed Steve Jobs on October 5, 2011, at the age of 56. Even though Jobs consumed a fruitarian diet years before he contracted his pancreatic cancer, there could be some relationship.

Why Large Amounts of Fruit May Not Be Healthy

While people are becoming increasingly aware of the connection between excessive fructose consumption and obesity and chronic disease, many forget that fruit is a source of fructose as well. Many tend to believe that as long as fruit is natural and raw they can have unlimited quantities without experiencing any adverse metabolic effects.

Eliminating processed foods and soda – which are loaded with high fructose corn syrup – and replacing it with an all-fruit diet is likely not going to improve your health. As Marisa Moore, registered dietician and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics told CNN Health:3

“When you only eat fruit, you’re excluding a lot of valuable nutrients from your diet. Protein is one of the main ones that comes to mind… Protein acts like a building block for your muscles and skin and organs. The same goes for fats. Although they often get demonized, fats play an important role in our hormone levels and brain function.”

It’s important to consider ALL sources of fructose, and to try to limit your total consumption if you want to optimize your health. Granted, fruits contain beneficial dietary fibers, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, which is why they’re an important part of a healthy diet – as long as they’re eaten in moderation. I believe most people would benefit by replacing the fruit with 50-70 percent of their calories from healthy fat. You also need moderate amounts of high quality protein.

An all-fruit diet is essentially an all-fructose diet, and this is bound to spell disaster for your health, at least long-term. Studies have shown that fructose can induce:

Impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and diabetes

Elevated triglycerides

Abdominal obesity

Leptin resistance

Inflammation and oxidative stress

Endothelial dysfunction

Microvascular disease

Hyperuricemia

Renal (kidney) damage

Fatty liver disease

High blood pressure

Metabolic syndrome

The Fructose Pancreatic Cancer Connection

Pancreatic cancer is one of the faster spreading cancers; only about four percent of patients can expect to survive five years after their diagnosis. Each year, about 44,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S., and 37,000 people die of the disease. Cancer of the pancreas has a terrible prognosis–half of all patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer die within 10 months of the diagnosis; half of those in whom it has metastasized die within six months.

Your pancreas contains two types of glands: exocrine glands that produce enzymes that break down fats and proteins, and endocrine glands that make hormones like insulin that regulate sugar in your blood.

Steve Jobs died of tumors originating in the endocrine glands, which are among the rarer forms of pancreatic cancer. His cancer was detected during an abdominal scan in October 2003, as Fortune magazine reported in a 2008 cover story.4 He reportedly spent nine months on “alternative therapies,” including what Fortune called “a special diet,” although there was no mention of what type of diet this might have been. In 2004, after the cancer had spread, Jobs opted for surgery. Unfortunately, it did not cure him.

Five years later, he underwent an experimental procedure called peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), which involves delivering radiation to tumor cells by attaching one of two radioactive isotopes to a drug that mimics somatostatin, the hormone that regulates the entire endocrine system and the secretion of other hormones. This treatment also failed. After having a liver transplant, Jobs succumbed to the cancer in 2011.

Interestingly enough, research published in 20105 suggests fructose may have a particularly significant impact on pancreatic cancer.

Insulin production is one of your pancreas’ main functions, used by your body to process blood sugar, and, in the laboratory, insulin promotes the growth of pancreatic cancer cells. However, there’s more to it than that. The research in question showed that the way the different sugars are metabolized (using different metabolic pathways) is of MAJOR consequence when it comes to feeding pancreatic cancer cells and making them proliferate. According to the authors:

“Importantly, fructose and glucose metabolism are quite different… These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation.”

The study confirms the old adage that sugar feeds cancer – a finding that Dr. Warburg received a Nobel Prize for over 90 years ago. Tumor cells do thrive on glucose and do not possess the metabolic machinery to burn fat. However, the cells used fructose for cell division, speeding up the growth and spread of the cancer. If this difference isn’t of major consequence, then I don’t know what is. Whether you’re simply interested in preventing cancer, or have cancer and want to live longer, you ignore these facts at your own risk.

There’s reasonable cause to suspect that if your body maintains high levels of insulin, you increase the pancreatic cancer’s ability to survive and grow. In fact, researchers now believe that up to a third of all types of cancers may be caused by diet and lifestyle. So if you want to prevent cancer, or want to treat cancer, it is imperative that you keep your insulin levels as low as possible.

Should You Eliminate Fruit from Your Diet?

Short answer, no, it wouldn’t be wise to eliminate fruit entirely. Fruit is definitely a source of fructose, and one that can harm your health if you eat it in vast quantities, but eating small amounts of whole fruits is fine if you are healthy.

In vegetables and fruits, the fructose is mixed in with fiber, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and beneficial phytonutrients, all of which help moderate the negative metabolic effects. However, if you suffer with any fructose-related health issues, such as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, obesity or cancer, you would be wise to limit your total fructose consumption to 15 grams of fructose per day. This includes fructose from ALL sources, including whole fruit.

If you are not insulin resistant, you may increase this to 25 grams of total fructose per day on average.

If you received your fructose only from vegetables and fruits (where it originates) as most people did a century ago, you’d consume about 15 grams per day. Today the average is 73 grams per day which is nearly 500 percent higher a dose and our bodies simply can’t tolerate that type of biochemical abuse. So please, carefully add your fruits based on the following table to keep your total fructose below 15-25 grams per day, depending on your current health status.

Fruit

Serving Size

Grams of Fructose

Limes

1 medium

0

Lemons

1 medium

0.6

Cranberries

1 cup

0.7

Passion fruit

1 medium

0.9

Prune

1 medium

1.2

Guava

2 medium

2.2

Date (Deglet Noor style)

1 medium

2.6

Cantaloupe

1/8 of med. melon

2.8

Raspberries

1 cup

3.0

Clementine

1 medium

3.4

Kiwifruit

1 medium

3.4

Blackberries

1 cup

3.5

Star fruit

1 medium

3.6

Cherries, sweet

10

3.8

Strawberries

1 cup

3.8

Cherries, sour

1 cup

4.0

Pineapple

1 slice (3.5″ x .75″)

4.0

Grapefruit, pink or red

1/2 medium

4.3

Fruit

Serving Size

Grams of Fructose

Boysenberries

1 cup

4.6

Tangerine/mandarin orange

1 medium

4.8

Nectarine

1 medium

5.4

Peach

1 medium

5.9

Orange (navel)

1 medium

6.1

Papaya

1/2 medium

6.3

Honeydew

1/8 of med. melon

6.7

Banana

1 medium

7.1

Blueberries

1 cup

7.4

Date (Medjool)

1 medium

7.7

Apple (composite)

1 medium

9.5

Persimmon

1 medium

10.6

Watermelon

1/16 med. melon

11.3

Pear

1 medium

11.8

Raisins

1/4 cup

12.3

Grapes, seedless (green or red)

1 cup

12.4

Mango

1/2 medium

16.2

Apricots, dried

1 cup

16.4

Figs, dried

1 cup

23.0

How to Determine Your Individual Susceptibility to Fructose Damage

As already stated, those who need to be careful about their fruit intake are people with high insulin levels. You can measure your fasting insulin level to find out for sure, but if you have any of the following problems it is highly likely you have insulin resistance syndrome:
•Overweight
•High Cholesterol
•High Blood Pressure
•Diabetes
•Yeast Infections

Besides that, you can also use your uric acid levels as a marker for your susceptibility to fructose damage, as some people may be able to process fructose more efficiently than others. The higher your uric acid, the more sensitive you are to the effects of fructose. The safest range of uric acid appears to be between 3 and 5.5 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl), and there appears to be a steady relationship between uric acid levels and blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, even down to the range of 3 to 4 mg/dl.

According to Dr. Richard Johnson, the ideal uric acid level is probably around 4 mg/dl for men and 3.5 mg/dl for women.

If you are one of those who believes that fruit is healthy no matter how much you eat, I would strongly encourage you to have your uric acid level checked to find out how sensitive you are to fructose. Eat the amount of fruit you feel is right for you for a few weeks and then check your uric acid level and see if your levels are healthy. If they are elevated you might try reducing the fruit to recommended levels and rechecking your uric acid level. Many who are overweight likely have uric acid levels well above 5.5. Some may even be closer to 10 or above. Measuring your uric acid levels is a very practical way to determine just how strict you need to be when it comes to your fructose – and fruit — consumption.

Is there Such a Thing as an Ideal Diet for Everyone?

Nutritional requirements can vary wildly from one person to the next, which is why I’ve been a longtime proponent of eating in accordance with your nutritional type. For example, if you’re a protein type, fruits are generally not beneficial for you with the exception of coconut, which has a higher fat content that is beneficial for protein types. On the other hand, carbohydrate types tend to fare well with fruit and can safely consume moderate amounts. This is an important distinction, and everyone should try to eat primarily the specific fruits that are best for their unique biochemistry.

However, many find nutritional typing to be too complex. So to simplify matters, while still allowing for a fully personalized program, I recently updated and revised my Nutritional Plan. It consists of three levels, from beginners to advanced, and covers the basic requirements of a healthy diet.

Keep in mind that emerging evidence suggests your diet should be at least half healthy fat, and possibly as high as 70 percent. My personal diet is about 60-70 percent healthy fat, and both Paul Jaminet, PhD., author of Perfect Health Diet, and Dr. Ron Rosedale, M.D., an expert on treating diabetes through diet, agree that the ideal diet includes somewhere between 50-70 percent fat. It’s important to understand that your body requires saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources (such as meat, dairy, certain oils, and tropical plants like coconut) for optimal functioning.

When you take this into account, it’s easy to see that an all-fruit diet could wreak absolute havoc with your health.

Keep in mind that frequent hunger may be a major clue that you’re not eating correctly. Not only is it an indication that you’re consuming the wrong types of food, but it’s also a sign that you’re likely consuming them in lopsided ratios for your individual biochemistry. Fat is far more satiating than carbs, so if you have cut down on carbs and feel ravenous, remember this is a sign that you haven’t replaced them with sufficient amounts of fat. You do want to make sure you’re adding the correct types of fat though, such as:

Olives and Olive oil

Coconuts and coconut oil

Butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk

Raw nuts, such as, almonds or pecans

Organic pastured egg yolks

Avocados

Grass-fed meats

Palm oil

Unheated organic nut oils

If You Seek Optimal Health, Pay Careful Attention to Your Insulin Levels

Three lifestyle issues keep popping up on the radar when you look at what’s contributing to pancreatic cancer: sugar intake, lack of exercise, and vitamin D deficiency. Obesity and physical inactivity makes your body less sensitive to the glucose-lowering effects of insulin. Diminished sensitivity to insulin leads to higher blood levels of insulin, which in turn can increase your risk of pancreatic cancer.

It’s a no-brainer that an all-fruit diet can seriously jeopardize your insulin sensitivity, thereby raising your risk of any number of health problems, including pancreatic problems. It’s simply FAR too much fructose for most people. I personally developed diabetes when I tried the “Eat Right for Your Blood Type” diet, which included eating large amounts of fruit for breakfast. So please, be careful of any diet that seems to extreme, and remember the human body NEEDS healthful fats and high quality protein for proper functioning.

Remember to listen to your body over the long term to guide you as to the best food selections. If your energy level deceases, you have a difficult time maintaining your ideal weight or are hungry all the time, there is a good chance that you have yet to find the optimal fuel for your body. As for fruits, use caution if you have any kind of insulin related health issues, as discussed above, and limit your total fructose consumption to 15-25 grams of fructose per day, depending on your health status.
If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Can You Really Build a Brand New Body
—and Create a Dramatically Improved
and Healthier Version of You…
in Less than 365 Days?

Little-known secret supercharges your health and wellbeing… Supports Graceful Aging… Nourishes prevention and healing of chronic diseases… and even enables you to live longer!

hat if you could trade your present body for a much healthier one… just like trading in your old car for a newer and better model? Imagine how much better your life would be!

Imagine how many health problems you’d avoid… how fast your supercharged immunity would allow diseases to disappear from your body… how much more energy you’d have… how vibrant and alive you’d feel… and how many more years you’d add to your lifespan.

If this sounds like a fantasy to you, I ask that you suspend your disbelief until you’ve read the entire story. You’ll be amazed, intrigued and fascinated by the extraordinary information you’re about to discover.

But first, let me ask you a question.

Which of the following describes you?
[Check all that apply to you.]

You’re someone who has been living an unhealthy lifestyle—and wants to “start over” with a clean slate… erase the “ghost of your body’s past”… and usher in a new healthier you.

You suffer from a chronic or degenerative disease, and are seeking complete health restoration.

You’re seeing and feeling the symptoms of “getting older”—such as aches and pains, debilitating diseases, wrinkles and saggy skin, loss of vitality, poor memory—and wish to regain your lost youth — and look and feel young again.

You’re someone in fairly good health who wants to maximize your health and well-being, slow down your aging process, and live a long life.

If you checked one or more of the above, this will be the most exciting information you’ll ever encounter.

As you read this article in its entirety, you will discover the recipe for creating a brand new body—a body that is capable of rebuilding itself and dramatically improving your health and longevity.

The Amazing Health Secret of a
Beverly Hills Millionaire

ave you ever come across those rare people who never get sick—even with advancing age… those who always have high energy… who always look years younger than their actual age… who seem to be “born healthy” and never struggle with health problems—even while their friends and relatives suffer from a diverse array of diseases?

“Mister B” is such a person.

A 65 year old self-made millionaire who lives in Beverly Hills, Mister B, is at the peak of health.
His biological age is proven to be that of a 31-year-old man! (verified by a recent biological age test in 2012)
He’s disease-free and never gets sick (doesn’t even get a cold or the flu)—and has normal blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.
He has a laser-sharp memory.
He looks decades younger than his chronological age.
He has an inexhaustible supply of energy—and can outperform, outdance and outlast people half his age.
He has amazing stamina and continues to do all the physical activities he did in his twenties.
He’s never been hospitalized in his life!

In 2010, Mister B attended his 45 year college reunion. Many of his fraternity brothers—men his own age—didn’t recognize Mister B at all… mistaking him for a man no older than 40. When he told them who he was, they stared in amazement because Mister B’s face showed no signs of wrinkles or sagging skin—and he actually looked younger than the last time they saw him… just 10 years prior!

Furthermore, Mister B had a youthful physique… while most of his fraternity friends were overweight and out of shape.

They demanded to know the name of his plastic surgeon… the doctor who had “renovated” his face and body—and they didn’t believe him when he swore he’d had no cosmetic surgery!

Mister B is not only a real-life Beverly Hills millionaire entrepreneur… he’s also the poster child for optimum health and anti-aging. But it wasn’t always that way.

Earlier in his life, Mister B was just like everyone else. In his mid-40s, he began to face the health challenges and aging symptoms so common among middle-aged people. He started rapidly losing his hair, getting wrinkles and gaining weight and flab… especially in his mid-section. He developed gum disease… suffered from undiagnosed prostate pain and even… a lymphatic disorder characterized by excessive mucous and occasional swelling of the lymph nodes.

Mister B was forced to realize, “He was over the hill, and going downhill fast!”

But one fateful day—that ultimately changed his life—a naturopathic doctor said these words to him:

“Your Body Tomorrow = What You Put in It Today”

This same wise doctor shocked Mister B when he told him… “your entire body has the miraculous ability of rebuilding itself in less than a year!”

“Every cell in your body dies and is replaced by new cells,” his doctor explained…

Your body builds…
A new brain in 1 year…
New blood in 4 months…
An entire skeleton in 3 months…
New DNA in 2 months…
A new liver in 6 weeks…
New skin in 1 month…
And a new stomach lining in 5 days!

“Your body has the power to literally rebuild itself from the way it is today… to a brand new body tomorrow,” said the doctor, pointing to an illustration of the body’s rebuilding mechanism.

Mister B’s mind began spinning with amazement over his newfound knowledge of the human body’s self-regenerating ability.

“But…,” he asked, “if it’s true that the body rebuilds itself, why are people still unhealthy, sick and deteriorating with age?”

The doctor replied, “The reason people continue to suffer from the same problems of aging… debilitating disease and sickness is because… people continue to recreate the same body by putting the same unhealthy food in it.”

That’s like tearing down a dilapidated house with a weak foundation—and rebuilding it with the same inferior building materials—that caused the weak foundation in the first place!

Upon hearing that… a light bulb went on in Mister B’s head.

“Let food be thy medicine
… and let thy medicine be food.”

— Hippocrates, Father of Medicine

He spent the next 5 years seeking out the most nutrient-dense foods in the world to supply his body with the right raw materials to rebuild itself better than it was. After extensive research and grueling documentation, he was finally able to distill the long list of nutrient-rich foods down to the 8 most powerful super foods…
#1: Is the world’s greatest anti-aging super food…
#2: The miracle tree that prevents and treats over 300 diseases…
#3: A super herb with spectacular health benefits more prized than gold…
#4: The most nutrient dense food on the planet…
#5: The No. 1 superfood for youth and longevity…
#6: The absolute best for rejuvenation of aging cells…
#7: A superfood that contains 600 times more Vitamin C than oranges (and provides an extraordinary boost to your immune system…)
#8 And lastly, “the most antioxidant-rich superfood on the planet.”

Obviously, you’re eager to discover the names of these 8 amazing and nutrient dense superfoods—and the recipe that made such a startling difference in not only Mister B’s health but also his appearance! And don’t worry because the recipe appears below. But first, you need to know one of the most important things Mister B discovered during his extensive research…

You Cannot Build a Healthier Body by Simply Eating More Vegetables and Fruits

f you’re like most people, you’ve been told to “eat your fruits and veggies” since you were a child. Mainstream media including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, most health and fitness publications, National Public Radio, as well as countless university studies have long proclaimed that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits can increase your energy levels… boost your immune system… reduce your risk of illness… and recharge your body.

But here’s the rub… although fruits and vegetables are indeed good for your health… eating them is no longer good enough to promote anti-aging and lasting health—let alone help build a better body. Here are 4 big reasons why:

WARNING: Vegetables and Fruits That Are
Conventionally Grown Are Nutritionally Depleted
— and May Even be Hazardous to Your Health

1. Today’s produce is significantly lower in essential nutrients than foods produced 50 years ago because modern farming practices have depleted our soils of minerals. Many organic agricultural scientists agree, depleted soils yield nutrient-poor produce. You now need approximately 10 servings of vegetables and fruits to obtain the nutritional equivalent of 1 serving from 50 years ago.

2. The long shipping and storage time between harvest and market degrades the nutrient content further. As a result, most vegetables and fruits sold in commercial establishments are even more nutritionally depleted.

3. The use of pesticides and other chemical additives in non-organic farming yield not only nutritionally deficient—but potentially poisonous produce—that may put you at even higher risk of long-term health problems.

4. An estimated 80% of food crops including corn to tomatoes and alfalfa to sugar beets are now genetically engineered and snuck into much of the processed food we eat. These genetically modified (GMO) crops have had their genetic material altered using complex engineering techniques. Genetically engineered produce has been shown to cause serious health problems to those who consume them. And lack of food labeling regulation makes them even harder to identify in our food supply.

The first-ever long-term study of the health effects of GMO foods (conducted at the University of Caen in France) shows that a lifelong diet of genetically modified foods may be associated with tumors, organ damage and premature death in lab mice.

Knowing the drawbacks—and dangers—of consuming conventionally grown vegetables and fruits, Mister B had to look harder to find the exact nutritional value he was looking for. He turned his attention to the vast array of vitamins and supplements that flooded the market. Again, he was dismayed by what he found.

Why Multivitamin Supplements Are Not
the Solution for Promoting
Long-Term Health and Wellness

ccording to the world’s largest study on multivitamins, people who take multivitamin supplements may not be gaining actual health benefits. Instead, most vitamins and minerals are actually excreted during a well-known bodily function… earning them the nickname: Expensive Urine!

That’s because the food nutrients found in vitamin and mineral supplements are isolated and extracted, and then put into a synthetic chemical structure the body does not recognize as food.

“Taking multivitamins doesn’t solve the problem—it is impossible to capture all of the vitamins, minerals, disease-fighting [nutrients]… in a pill.”

— Source: National Cancer Institute

It became clear to Mister B that only real food—not vitamin pills—can provide all of the health-enhancing factors needed to build a better body.

But clearly, conventionally grown fruits and vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli, blueberries and tomatoes, to name a few) were not the answer!

Only real, raw and organic superfoods could provide the fuel the human body needs to rebuild a healthier version of itself!

Continued below…

What is a superfood?

Superfood – def: A food with a high concentration of various nutrients and phytochemical content that delivers exceptional health benefits. The best superfoods are usually scientifically proven foods (also called “functional foods”) that can be used in a targeted way to support natural healing of specific health problems and to enhance health and well-being.

Yet, All Superfoods Are Not Created Equal

here are dozens of so-called “superfoods” in existence. Unfortunately, many claim health benefits and effects that are not supported by solid scientific studies. And some are only backed by pseudo-scientific research, exaggeration, misrepresentation and even old wives tales—and many have no track record of verifiable success… no real-life case studies of real people who have experienced real results in improving real conditions.

Mister B conducted intensive investigative work to catalog and document all the potential superfoods one by one into a huge master file—discarding those that had no substantiated merits—and doing more in-depth research on those that showed promise. And, after over 5 years of commitment and research, he finally distilled his list down to the…

Mega-8 Superfoods: The “A-Team”
for Rebuilding Your New Body

t was a monumental day when Mister B discovered the “Mega-8” superfoods that have remarkable health-enhancing and life-extending properties. Little did he know that those 8 superfoods would change his life forever.

However, no matter how impressive the 8 superfoods appeared on paper, the question still remained: Would these 8 superfoods actually promote health and wellness that one could see and feel?

There was only one way to find out.

Mister B proceeded to buy bulk quantities of the raw and certified organic powder form of those 8 superfoods. He mixed each of the superfood powders into a glass of water, stirred the mixture—and drank his very own superfood concoction every single day for over 7 years!

Although he could certainly afford to buy any nutritional or dietary supplement on the market—he chose to ingest only the mega-8 superfoods daily. He did not change his diet or lifestyle—he rarely went to the gym to work out, he still continued to drink beer, wine and other liquor—and he still binged on junk food every now and then.

And his results are nothing short of amazing! At age 65, his biological age is that of a 31-year-old man! And after much prodding he’s agreed to reveal his age-defying, fountain-of-youth recipe to you…

Continued below…

Mister B’s Secret Recipe Reveals the 8 Most Nutrient Dense Superfoods on Earth…

The nutritional properties of each of these nutritional powerhouses could fill an entire book. Every single one of them has been shown to single-handedly deliver powerful healthy aging benefits—but when combined, they produce a spectacular, synergistic boost to your overall health and well-being… like adding rocket-fuel to your car’s gas tank!

Superfood #1: Chlorella – The World’s Greatest Healthy Aging Food!

Chlorella is a single-celled, water-grown algae that contains more health-enhancing chlorophyll per gram than any other plant. It is extremely rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids and many other nutrients that are beneficial to your health.

Chlorella also has an abundance of nucleic acids, which have powerful rejuvenating properties that regulate the aging process, supports youthful looking and wrinkle-free skin, and helps you have a longer potential lifespan.

Dr. Benjamin S. Frank, author of The No-Aging Diet and Nucleic Acid Therapy in Aging and Degenerative Disease, offered his patients with foods rich in nucleic acids, and reported that such a diet helped his patient’s look and feel 6 to 12 years younger than their chronological age, and their overall health dramatically improved. They also experienced a substantial fading of the look and feel of lines and wrinkles, and developed healthier, younger-looking skin after only 2 months.

The raw and organic chlorella in Mega-Nutrition Organic Superfood is “broken cell wall chlorella”—the most beneficial kind of chlorella. This means that the cellulose cell walls of chlorella have been pulverized or broken down, thereby making it bioavailable… or able to be easily absorbed and used by the body… giving it the power to deliver superior health benefits.

Superfood #2: Moringa – The “Miracle Tree” of Cell Rejuvenation and The Enemy of Abnormal Cell Growth

The moringa is a genus of trees indigenous to Southern India and Northern Africa, and now cultivated in Central and South America, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Philippines. The leaves of the species called moringa oleifera, have become recognized in recent years as being highly beneficial to human health.

Moringa leaves are a healthy aging powerhouse because they contain several thousand times more of the powerful nutrient zeatin than any other known plant. A study published in Rejuvenation Research shows the undeniable youth-preserving effects of zeatin are due to its ability to regulate cell division and growth, and delay cell aging. With the zeatin contained in moringa, new skin cells grow at a faster rate than old skin cells die. This results in a marked reduction of look and feel of wrinkles on the face and other parts of the body, and a more youthful skin appearance.

Moringa leaves also have 90 essential nutrients and 2 compounds that have been shown to regulate abnormal cell growth (or a retardation of their growth). This has earned moringa the reputation of being a plant that supports health. India’s traditional natural Ayurvedic medicine currently uses moringa leaves to in the care of over 300 diseases.

A Bureau of Plant Industry report states that, gram per gram, moringa leaves contain: twice the protein content of 8 ounces of milk (and 4 times the calcium); the Vitamin C equivalent of 7 oranges; the potassium content of 3 bananas; 3 times the iron of spinach; and 4 times the Vitamin A of carrots.

Superfood #3: Maca – The Sacred Plant More Precious Than Gold!

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a hearty root vegetable that grows in the high Andean plateaus of Peru. It is full of essential nutrients drawn from the mineral rich soil of the high Andes and the ancient Inca worshipped it as a sacred plant.

Maca was so highly prized by the ancient Inca that Conquistadors often asked to be paid their tributes in maca rather than gold!

Maca has gained the reputation of being a super herb in recent years, but it has actually been traditionally used for over 2,000 years to address a variety of health conditions.

In 1960, Gloria Chacon de Popovici, Ph.D., a Peruvian biologist, isolated the 4 alkaloids responsible for maca’s reputed positive support for hormonal issues such as hot flashes, fatigue, mood swings, memory loss—and even male impotence. Maca’s reputation for restoring physical strength and libido has been remarked upon by many South Americans.

Maca is not only a powerful libido enhancer, but it also…

promotes reproductive health
enhances fertility in both men and women
alleviates minor discomforts symptoms of menopause and PMS
supports normal bone retention during menopause
boosts energy levels and aids in athletic performance
helps strengthen the body’s immune system

promotes mental clarity
increases the body’s resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue
has a high iron content
helps maintain normal cholesterol levels

Superfood #4: Spirulina – The Most Nutrient-
Dense Food on the Planet!

Spirulina is a blue green algae, considered to be the most nutrient dense food on the planet.

Because spirulina’s nutrient profile is more potent than that of any other food, plant, grain or herb, it is considered a superior whole food alternative to isolated vitamin supplements. In addition to its contribution to the body’s nutritional needs, it has been shown to support beneficial outcomes when concerned about:

cancer (abnormal cell growth)
allergies
high cholesterol
anemia
elevated blood sugar

viral infections
cardiovascular diseases (heart concerns)
liver damage (problems)
inflammatory conditions
and immunodeficiency diseases (immune concerns).

Of course, no food, including spirulina, can treat any of these conditions,
but good nutrition can offer support for good health and healing.

Spirulina is the best source of vegetable protein, containing about 65% protein — higher than any other natural food — far more than animal flesh (20%), eggs (12%), whole milk (3%), soybeans (35%), peanuts (25%) or grains (8 to 14%). It is considered a complete protein because it contains all the essential amino acids, which are the amino acids the body cannot make, but must ingest.

Spirulina also contains extraordinary concentrations of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, such as beta carotene (10 times more concentrated than that of carrots), iron, potassium, magnesium, copper, calcium, chromium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, essential trace minerals, and gamma-linolenic acid. It is also the most abundant source of Vitamin B-12, and is also rich in phytonutrients and functional nutrients that have a demonstrably positive effect on health.

Superfood #5: Cacao – The No. 1 Longevity Food

Cacao comes from raw cacao seeds, the product of a fruit grown on the cacao tree (theobroma cacao), which grow naturally in the shade of tropical rainforests in South America and the West Indies.

Cocoa, a component of chocolate, is derived from cacao, which many researchers dub as “one of nature’s most fantastic superfoods.” Here are just a few of cacao’s far-reaching health benefits:
Increases blood flow to the brain and enhances brain function
Cacao is the No. 1 source of magnesium of any food. Magnesium balances brain chemistry… builds strong bones… helps regulate heartbeat and blood pressure… helps prevent constipation and even eases minor menstrual cramps.
Cacao beans contain certain compounds that can trigger weight loss, make you feel good and improve your mood considerably.
Cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food tested so far—more than blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas.
Serotonin – Cacao raises the level of serotonin in the brain; thus acts to regulate mood, help with PMS discomfort, and promote a sense of well-being.
Endorphins – Cacao stimulates the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable sensation similar to the “runner’s high” a jogger feels after running several miles.
Sulfur – Cacao is high in the beauty mineral sulfur. Sulfur builds strong nails and hair, promotes beautiful skin, detoxifies the liver, and supports healthy pancreas functioning.

The key to gaining the most benefit from the world’s No. 1 longevity food is to choose cacao that is organic, raw, and cold-processed, such as the cacao contained in the Mega-Nutrition Organic Superfood blend.

Superfood #6: Wheatgrass – The Absolute Best Superfood for the Rejuvenation of Aging Cells

Wheatgrass is the young grass of the common wheat plant, triticum aestivum. Its leaves are juiced or dried into powder for human consumption.

In The Wheatgrass Book, Ann Wigmore suggests that consuming wheatgrass juice promotes a healthy aging process because it cleanses the blood, thereby helping to rejuvenate aging cells and helping to tighten loose and sagging skin.

The high chlorophyll content of wheatgrass, as well as the amino acids, minerals, vitamins and enzymes it contains enable wheatgrass to provide a wide range of health benefits, as follows:
Regulates normal cell growth: Studies show that wheatgrass juice has a powerful ability to regulate cell growth.
Powerful detoxifier: Wheatgrass protects the liver and the blood, and neutralizes toxic substances like cadmium, nicotine, strontium, mercury, and polyvinyl chloride.
Blood builder: The chlorophyll in wheatgrass is almost identical in chemical composition to hemoglobin, the compound that carries oxygen in the blood.

Superfood #7: Camu-Camu – The Superfruit with
600 Times More Vitamin C Than Oranges!

Camu camu is a bush that grows in the black water rivers of the South American Amazon rainforest. Its purplish red berries are a rich source of antioxidants and powerful phytochemicals that support and enhance health.

Camu camu berries contain the highest amount of Vitamin C of any botanical source—30 to 60 times more than a fresh orange. But when they are dried and reduced to powder form (as they are in Mega-Nutrition Organic Superfood blend), they deliver 600 times more Vitamin C than oranges! This amount of Vitamin C provides extraordinary immune system support and enhances mental health.

The berries also contain beneficial phytochemicals, such as leucine, serine and valine, as well as significant levels of beta carotene, calcium, iron, potassium, niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin and thiamine—all of which provide these nutritional and therapeutic benefits:

Regulates soreness considerably
Supports healthy respiratory function (helps keep your lungs healthy)
Maintains healthy skin, hair and nails

Helps support vibrant eyesight
Strengthens tendons and ligaments
Helps to keep organs such as the eyes, brain, heart, skin and liver in good working condition

Dr. James Duke, Ph.D., the retired chief botanist for 30 years with the USDA (and author of several books on botanical medicine, including The Green Pharmacy) conducted an extensive study of hundreds of botanicals. He concluded that camu camu is one of the most outstanding natural mood support nutrients, and ranked it the No. 1 Natural Remedy for many traditional ailments.

Superfood #8: Acai – The Most Antioxidant-
Rich Superfood in the World!

The acai berry (Euterpe Oleracea), the fruit of the Acai Palm tree which grows in the flood plains of the Amazon in Brazil, is a small, black-purple berry that is considered by many to be one of the world’s most nutritious foods. That’s because it’s the most antioxidant-rich superfood in the world, with a phenomenally high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value.

These berries contain a high concentration of beneficial anthocyanins—up to 30 times more anthocyanins than red wine! Anthocyanins are a group of polyphenols high in antioxidant value, and this gives them the ability to support healthy aging.

Acai berries are rich in dietary fiber, monounsaturated (healthy) fats and phytosterols that help promote healthy digestive and cardiovascular systems—and contribute to weight loss. They also have an abundance of essential fatty acids and an almost perfect essential amino acid complex and proteins that are essential for proper muscle contraction and regeneration.

Acai berries have been shown to support a graceful aging process… strengthen the immune system… regulate normal cholesterol levels in the body… reduce soreness… improve circulation and cardiovascular function… detoxify the body… improve vision… and help you sleep better, naturally.

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Tesco Apologizes for Selling Burgers Containing Horsemeat

When you buy processed meat, whether from your local grocer or a restaurant, what are you really getting?

That’s a very valid question these days, as one meat-related scandal after another has been revealed. Most recently, at least 16 people in the US have been sickened from salmonella-tainted ground beef, and in the UK, many got sick to their stomach when it was discovered beef burgers contained horsemeat.

New DNA sequencing technology now allows regulatory agencies to inexpensively make this determination.

From the standpoints of health, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability, there’s really only one type of meat I recommend: organically raised, grass-fed or pastured. This applies to all types of meat, from fowl to beef, and related animal products such as eggs and dairy.

Tesco Apologizes for Selling Burgers Containing Horsemeat

On January 17, BBC News1 reported that the supermarket chain Tesco had placed full-page ads in several national newspapers, apologizing for selling hamburgers found to contain nearly 30 percent horse meat. A majority of tested beef burgers also contained pig meat, as did over 30 other processed beef products, including cottage pie, beef curry pie, and lasagna.

“The supermarket giant said it and its supplier had let customers down and promised to find out ‘what happened,'” BBC writes. “So here’s our promise. We will find out exactly what happened and, when we do, we’ll come back and tell you. And we will work harder than ever with all our suppliers to make sure this never happens again.”

While horse meat does not pose a health risk per se, many are disgusted by the thought of eating horse, much like you’d shun cat or dog meat. The discrepancy was discovered by Irish food inspectors. Horse meat was also found in burgers sold by Iceland, Lidi, Aldi and Dunnes. The stores have reportedly removed all products from the meat supplier in question.

Burger King in the UK has also issued a statement saying it has replaced the meat supplier. According to Reuters:2

“‘This is a voluntary and precautionary measure,’ Burger King, famed for its flame-grilled burgers, said. ‘We are working diligently to identify suppliers that can produce 100 percent pure Irish and British beef products that meet our high-quality standards.'”

According to Reuters, the source of the contamination is thought to be “a beef based product bought from two third-party suppliers outside of Ireland.” This highlights one of the most basic problems with mass-produced meat products.

The final product is a jumble-toss of meat and scraps from multiple sources, making the risk of contamination of huge amounts of meat very high – whether the contamination is a type of meat that doesn’t belong, or contamination with a pathogen. It also makes tracing the contamination back to its source all the more difficult.

Overall, it’s important to realize that the more steps your food goes through before it reaches your plate, the greater your chances of contamination becomes. If you are able to get your food locally, directly from the field or after harvest, such as directly from a farmer or farmer’s market, you knock out numerous routes that could expose your food to contamination.

Several Sick After Eating Contaminated Ground Beef

Case in point… In the United States, federal health officials recently reported that at least 16 people in five states were sickened by ground beef contaminated with salmonella.3 About half of them required hospitalization, but none have died so far. Seven of those afflicted ate Kibbeh – a raw ground beef dish – at an unnamed Detroit restaurant.

Again, the contamination was scattered around a very large area: Michigan, Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention4 (CDC), the outbreak is linked to a recent recall of more than 1,000 pounds of ground beef from Gab Halal Foods and Jouni Meats, both based in Michigan.

Each year, an estimated one in six Americans become ill from consuming contaminated food. Sometimes this results in a 24-hour bout of diarrhea and vomiting that clears up on its own, but in other cases foodborne pathogens can lead to organ failure, paralysis, neurological impairment, blindness, stillbirths and even death.

While the majority of food contaminations are linked to imported foods, the mere fact that a food is manufactured on U.S. soil does not guarantee its safety. Most of the meat sold in U.S. grocery stores and restaurants comes from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), which can house tens of thousands of animals (and in the case of chickens, 100,000) under one roof, in nightmarish, unsanitary, disease-ridden conditions. It’s under these conditions that foodborne pathogens flourish, and indeed studies have shown that the larger the farm, the greater the chances of contamination.

How CAFO Chicken Farms May Contaminate Other Foods

In one study, more than 23 percent of CAFOs with caged hens tested positive for Salmonella, while just over 4 percent of organic flocks tested positive. The highest prevalence of Salmonella occurred in the largest flocks (30,000 birds or more), which contained over four times the average level of salmonella found in smaller flocks. Organic flocks are typically much smaller than the massive commercial flocks where bacteria flourish, which is part of the reason why eggs (and other products, like meat) from truly organic, free-range sources are FAR less likely to contain dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella.

What many don’t realize is that not only are you at greater risk of getting sickened from CAFO chicken meat, contaminated chicken litter from these farms can also spread disease throughout the food chain…

Yes, even lettuce and other vegetables have occasionally been found to contain Salmonella, courtesy of contaminated fertilizer. Chicken litter and feathers are also commonly used in other livestock feed, further increasing chances of spreading contamination around from one mass-produced food source to another.5

If you buy your meat at your supermarket, even if it’s U.S. raised, you should know that you are directly supporting a food system that typically promotes widespread contamination. And you can bet that as long as there are people willing to buy cheap, contaminated meat, the industry will continue to produce it. Consumer Reports tests6 have indicated that 83 percent of fresh, whole broiler chickens bought at supermarkets nationwide harbor Campylobacter or Salmonella. This is clearly unacceptable, and if you start to demand more — meat that is raised in a healthy, humane way, free from toxins and disease — producers will have no choice but to listen.

Study Shows Roundup Creates Botulism Breeding Ground in Poultry

CAFO chickens can also be heavily exposed to glyphosate when fed genetically engineered feed, and according to recent research,7 glyphosate residues will preferentially kill beneficial species of microorganisms in the GI tract, leaving pathogenic species that can cause harm.

What does this mean for you and me?

The essential implication is that poultry fed GE corn or soy would fall victim to dysbiosis, meaning unhealthy changes in their gut flora that threaten the health of the birds, as well as anyone consuming them. The beneficial bacteria in the poultry gut, such as Enterococcus, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, are killed off, allowing the pathogenic or disease causing bacteria to flourish. Varieties such as Salmonella and Clostridium are very dangerous pathogens for humans. Clostridia bacteria are some of the deadliest, with strains including C. tetani (tetanus) and C. botulinum (botulism).

Chickens bred in CAFOs are already routinely fed antibiotics, arsenic, and even antidepressants, all of which have serious adverse health consequences. But this German study8 suggests CAFO chickens exposed to glyphosate may become breeding grounds for Botulism, Salmonella and other major pathogenic organisms.

According to a new report by the CDC9 detailing the most common sources of foodborne illness reported between 1998 and 2008, the majority – 19 percent – of food poisoning deaths were linked to contaminated poultry.10

The implications of this become even clearer when you consider the recently released findings of a decade-long feeding study that showed GE feed can cause significant changes in the digestive system, immune system, and major organs (including liver, kidneys, pancreas, genitals and others) of rats, mice, pigs and salmon. If it’s doing all of that to animals and fish, what’s it doing to you? Clearly, the conventional agribusiness food system has emerged as a major threat to your health.

Food Fraud at All Time High…

According to a recent report by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), a whopping 800 new records of food fraud have been added to its ever expanding database.11 You can both search the USP database and report fraud directly, at www.foodfraud.org. It seems quite clear at this point that food fraud is on the rise, and while many have started reading food labels, those labels are increasingly found to be less than truthful.12 According to the USP’s press release:13

“The first iteration of the database compiled 1,300 records of food fraud published between 1980 and 2010. The update increases the total number of records by 60 percent – and consists mostly of newer information published in 2011 and 2012 in both scholarly journals and general media.

Initial analyses of the database by USP food scientists was published in the April 5, 2012, Journal of Food Science. This research revealed that milk, vegetable oils and spices were among the top categories where food fraud occurred as documented in published reports. Analyses of new information by USP scientists show similar trends for 2011 and 2012, and add seafood (fish, shrimp), clouding agents and lemon juice as categories vulnerable to food fraud.

Food fraud is a collective term that encompasses the deliberate substitution, addition, tampering or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients or food packaging, or false or misleading statements made about a product for economic gain. A more specific type of fraud, intentional or economically motivated adulteration of food ingredients, has been defined by USP as the fraudulent addition of nonauthentic substances or removal or replacement of authentic substances without the purchaser’s knowledge for economic gain to the seller.

‘While food fraud has been around for centuries, with a handful of notorious cases well documented, we suspect that what we know about the topic is just the tip of the iceberg,’ said Dr. Jeffrey Moore, senior scientific liaison for USP and the database’s creator and lead analyst.”

Are You Buying Unusable Scraps and Fillers, Thinking it’s ‘Good Food’?

Over the past year alone, I’ve discussed a number of food issues that have come to light that would turn the stomach of most people, including:
•Fast food burgers that do not decompose, even after being left out for a decade
•“Pink slime” (an unsavory combination of ground up beef scraps and connective tissues mixed with a solution of ammonia and water) being used in school lunches and processed meats across the US
•Reconstituted meat, and how the use of meat glue cheats you out of your hard-earned money at the grocery store and threatens your health, and most recently
•The truth of what’s really in the famous McRib pork sandwich – a questionable concoction of over 70 different ingredients, the “meat” portion of which is actually “restructured” meat that can include the innards and castoffs from the pig

Buying Local is One of the Best Ways to Avoid Food Contamination

All in all, modern food manufacturing is far from savory once you learn what goes on, and there’s room for fraud at every turn. Quite frankly, I’d be hard-pressed to call much of the processed fare available in stores today food. It’s so far from it, it’s no wonder we have such problems with obesity and poor health. What can you expect when you’re not actually consuming real nutrients?

The solution, of course, is to revert back to real, whole food.

If you value food safety, you’ll want to get your meat, chickens, eggs and dairy from smaller community farms with free-ranging animals, organically fed and locally marketed. This is the way food has been raised and distributed for centuries… And by supporting the small family farms in your area, particularly organic farms that respect the laws of nature and use the relationships between animals, plants, insects, soil, water and habitat to create synergistic, self-supporting, non-polluting, GMO-free ecosystems, you help everyone in your community to eventually have greater access to wholesome food. Because as demand for locally-grown food rises, farmers will heed the call…

If you opt for imported foods, or those from U.S. CAFOs, your food will go through upwards of nine steps before it reaches your dinner plate. Public health agencies like the FDA use the term “field-to-fork continuum” to describe the path any given food takes on the way to your plate, and during any of the following steps, contamination is possible:
•Open field production
•Harvesting
•Field packing
•Greenhouse production
•Packinghouse
•Repacking and other distribution operations
•Fresh-cut/value-added processing
•Food service and retail
•Consumer

If you are able to get your food directly from the farmer, you knock out five potential operations that could expose your food to contamination. The closer you are to the source of your food, the fewer hands it has to pass through and the less time it will sit in storage, the better, and likely safer, it will be for you and your family. Plus, when you know the person who grows your food, you can ask questions about its growing conditions — an impossibility when you buy food from CAFOs or other countries.

Helpful Resources

If eating locally is new to you, rest assured that you can find a source near you, regardless of whether you’re in a remote or rural area or a big city. Here’s a list of helpful resources:
•For a listing of national farmer’s markets, see this link.
•Another great web site is www.localharvest.org. There you can find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.
•Subscribe to a community supported agriculture program (CSA). Some are seasonal while others are year round programs. Once you subscribe, many will drop affordable, high quality locally-grown produce right at your door step. To find a CSA near you, go to the USDA’s website where you can search by city, state, or zip code.
•Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.
•Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.
•FoodRoutes. Their “Find Good Food” map can help you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSA’s, and markets near you.
•For an even more comprehensive list of CSA’s and a host of other sustainable agriculture programs, check out this link to my Sustainable Agriculture page.

With food fraud and contamination of processed foods on the rise, the safest and healthiest food you can get your hands on are those grown right in your backyard – perhaps literally your own yard, or from a local farm. Remember, from the standpoints of health, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability, there’s really only one type of meat I recommend: organically raised, grass-fed or pastured. This includes all types of meat: chicken, turkey, pork and beef, and all related animal products, such as eggs and dairy.

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Cheese—A Nutritional Powerhouse that Can Help Protect Your Heart, Brain and Bones

If you’re a cheese lover struggling to resist cheese because you’ve heard it’s not good for you, then brace yourself for some really good news. Cheese can be an excellent source of nutrition, a food you may want to include more of in your diet rather than less.

Cheese, especially that made from the milk of grass-pastured animals, is an excellent source of several important nutrients.

One of the most valuable nutrients in cheese is vitamin K2, which the latest scientific studies indicate is even more important to your heart, brain and bones than previously thought.

Cheese also provides a cornucopia of vitamins, minerals (including calcium), protein, and fat.

Even if you’re lactose intolerant, there are many cheeses you will likely tolerate just fine. Most of the lactose is removed during the cheesemaking process. Pairing cheese with other foods enhances your absorption of important nutrients.

This article aims to separate fact from myth and will provide guidance on how you can incorporate your favorite cheeses into your daily diet, with joy and gratitude instead of guilt.

Cheese Will Clog Up Your Arteries… and Other Food Fairytales

Although nobody knows for certain when or where cheesemaking first began, cheese has been a staple for thousands of years. Cheese dates back to the domestication of milk-producing animals, between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago.1 The history of cheese can be traced back to the Roman Empire, the Middle East, Tibet, Mongolia, the Ming Dynasty, and of course Europe.

In spite of its rich history and enthusiastic fan base, cheese is much maligned in America due to the saturated fat/cholesterol myth.

Does eating cheese lead to obesity and heart disease? Absolutely not! This unfortunate myth stems from an outdated and seriously flawed hypothesis, perpetuated by decades of wildly successful marketing.

Numerous recent studies have confirmed saturated fat is NOT associated with obesity or heart disease and is actually associated with improved heart health. Most Americans today are consuming inadequate saturated fat. In fact, the Greeks, French and Germans eat much more cheese than Americans but enjoy lower rates of hypertension and obesity.2

I believe one of the primary factors driving obesity is overconsumption of sugar, refined grain and processed food in the standard American diet, made worse by a sedentary lifestyle. Given these facts, many nutritional experts believe that most people need 50 to 70 percent healthful fats in their diet for optimal health, and I agree. Cheese is a delicious way to help you meet that requirement Cheese holds a wealth of good nutrition, including:
•High-quality protein and amino acids
•High-quality saturated fats and omega-3 fats
•Vitamins and minerals, including calcium, zinc, phosphorous, vitamins A, D, B2 (riboflavin) and B12
•Vitamin K2
•CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), a powerful cancer-fighter and metabolism booster

Natural Cheese Versus Fake Cheese

There is a difference between natural cheese and processed “cheese foods.” Natural cheese is a simple fermented dairy product, made with nothing more than a few basic ingredients — milk, starter culture, salt and an enzyme called rennet. Salt is a crucial ingredient for flavor, ripening and preservation. You can tell a natural cheese by its label, which will state the name of the cheese variety, such as “cheddar cheese,” “blue cheese,” or “brie.” Real cheese requires refrigeration.

The starter culture and cheesemaking methods are what give each variety of cheese its particular taste, texture, shape and nutritional profile. The following factors differentiate between one variety of cheese and another:
•Specific starter culture, which is the bacteria or mold strains that ripen the cheese
•Type of milk used (cow, sheep, goat, etc.), and the conditions under which those animals were raised
•Methods of curdling, cutting, cooking and forming the curd
•Ripening conditions such as temperature, humidity, and aging time (curing)

Processed cheese or “cheese food” is a different story. These products are typically pasteurized and otherwise adulterated with a variety of additives that detract from their nutritional value. The label will always include the words “pasteurized process,” which should be your clue to walk on by. Velveeta3 is one example, with additives like sodium phosphate, sodium citronate and various coloring agents. Another clue is that most don’t require refrigeration. So, be it Velveeta, Cheese Whiz, squeeze cheese, spray cheese, or some other imposter — these are NOT real cheeses and should be banished from your shopping cart.

Raw Cheese from Pasture-Raised Animals is the Ultimate

Ideally, the cheese you consume should be made from the milk of grass-fed animals raised on pasture, rather than grain-fed or soy-fed animals confined to feedlot stalls. The biologically appropriate diet for cows is grass, but 90 percent of standard grocery store cheeses are made from the milk of CAFO cows. These cheeses are nutritionally inferior to those from grass-pastured animals.

The higher quality the milk, the higher the quality of the cheese… it’s just that simple.

Even cheesemakers will tell you that raw cheese has a richer and deeper flavor than cheese made from pasteurized milk because heat destroys the enzymes and good bacteria that add flavor to the cheese. They explain that raw cheese has flavors that derive from the pastureland that nourished the animals producing the milk, much like wine is said to draw its unique flavors from individual vineyards. Grass-fed dairy products not only taste better, they are also nutritionally superior:
•Cheese made from the milk of grass-fed cows has the ideal omega-6 to omega-3 fat ratio of 2:1. By contrast, the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of grain-fed milk is heavily weighted on the side of omega-6 fats (25:1), which are already excessive in the standard American diet. Grass-fed dairy combats inflammation in your body, whereas grain-fed dairy contributes to it.
•Grass-fed cheese contains about five times the CLA of grain-fed cheese.
•Because raw cheese is not pasteurized, natural enzymes in the milk are preserved, increasing its nutritional punch.
•Grass-fed cheese is considerably higher in calcium, magnesium, beta-carotene, and vitamins A, C, D and E.
•Organic grass-fed cheese is free of antibiotics and growth hormones.

The FDA Cracks Down on Raw Cheese

For years, federal regulators have been threatening to ban raw milk products, including raw cheese, due to what they claim are increased safety risks. Lately they’ve begun targeting artisan cheesemakers, as this is a fast growing industry in America.4

However, the FDA’s crackdown on raw cheese is based on a flawed argument.5 According to Grist, between 1973 and 1999 there’s not a single report of illness from either raw or pasteurized cheeses. However, since the year 2000, illnesses have begun to appear from raw and pasteurized cheese alike. Most outbreaks have been found to result from post-production contamination and laxity in quality control, not lack of pasteurization.

The truth is that raw cheese is not inherently dangerous, provided high standards are followed in the cheesemaking process. Hard cheeses like cheddar dry out as they age, making them relatively inhospitable to invading bacteria. The FDA’s attack on raw cheese is not based on facts, but simply is an extension of their long-standing hostility toward raw milk in general.

Salt Content Prompts Cries of “Cheesageddon”

Another recent concern is that cheese contains excessively high levels of salt. The Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) is a group interested in reducing the salt in processed foods and is urging the cheese industry to reduce the amount of salt in cheese.6 It is true that American food is the saltiest food in the world.

But how much is cheese responsible for the excess sodium in the American diet?

Cheese looks like a minor player when you consider the amount of salt in processed food and restaurant food, and how much more of those are consumed than cheese. Take a look at the table below, which compares salt levels in the saltiest cheeses and in the saltiest restaurant dishes, and you’ll see what I mean. Keep in mind that your sodium intake should be less than about 2,300 mg per day, which is approximately a teaspoon.

About 90 percent of the salt in the standard American diet comes from packaged foods and restaurant foods. Only about 11 percent is attributable to the salt you add during cooking and at the dinner table. Your sodium intake is even lower if you salt your food with natural sea salt instead of processed salt. It seems clear to me that, given all of the nutrition packed into a relatively small piece of cheese, the sodium is not much of an issue, particularly if you minimize processed or packaged foods and don’t eat out often.

Food (Cheeses Listed are the Saltiest Varieties)

Sodium (mg)

Roquefort cheese (100g)5

1,300

Edam cheese (100g)5

1,200

Feta cheese (100g)5

1,200

Chicken McNuggets (100g)7

1,600

Dunken Donuts Salt Bagel8

3,420

Ruby Tuesday Chicken Piccata

4,194

P.F. Chang’s Mu Shu Pork

5,820

Red Robin Buffalo Clucks and Fries

4,479

P.F. Chang’s Pork and Double Pan-Fried Noodles — awarded “Saltiest Food in America”

7,900

Vitamin K2, Vitamin D3, and Calcium — A Whole in One!

Download Interview Transcript

Cheese contains a synergistic blend of nutrients that make it a veritable nutritional powerhouse. When consumed together, vitamins K2 and D3 and calcium are especially powerful for protecting your bones, brain and heart. And cheese contains all three!

I recently interviewed Dr. Kate Rheamue-Bleue, a Naturopathic Physician and author of one of the most comprehensive books on vitamin K2.Vitamin K2 plays critical roles in protecting your heart, brain, and bones, as well as giving you some protection from cancer.9 Not only does K2 help channel calcium into the proper areas of your body (bones and teeth), it prevents it from being deposited in areas where it shouldn’t, such as your arteries and soft tissues.

So, taking calcium supplements when you don’t have adequate vitamin K2 is a setup for arterial calcification and cardiovascular problems.

Since cheeses are all produced by different strains of bacteria, they differ in their total vitamin K2 content, as well as their K2 subtypes. Cheeses contain primarily subtypes MK-4, MK-8 and MK-9, in varying proportions. MK-4 is the least biologically active form (but the most abundant form in cheese), so it takes more of it for your body to benefit. MK-7, MK-8 and MK-9 stay active in your body longer so your body can benefit from much lower levels.

According to a 2009 Dutch study,10 subtypes MK-7, MK-8 and MK-9 are associated with reduced vascular calcification even at small dietary intakes (as low as 1 to 2 mcg per day).

When it Comes to K2, How Do Your Favorite Cheeses Stack Up?

In my interview with Dr. Rheamue-Bleue, she identified the cheeses highest in K2 are Gouda and Brie, which contain about 75 mcg per ounce. Hard cheeses are about 30 percent higher in vitamin K2 than soft cheeses. In perusing the nutritional tables myself, I found it interesting that the cheeses highest in vitamin K2 also tend to be the highest in protein and calcium — so the most nutritious overall14. Just realize that the values listed for “vitamin K” in common nutritional tables are of limited value because they don’t specify what TYPE of vitamin K they’re measuring.

As it turns out, scientists have found high levels of MK-7 in one type of cheese: Edam.11 This is wonderful news for those of you who would much rather sit down to a slice of Edam than a bowl of natto! (Natto, a strongly fermented Japanese soybean product, has the highest MK-7 level of any food.)

Earlier I made my case for selecting raw cheeses from grass-pastured, grass-fed animals. However, cheese contains a bacterially derived form of K2, so it doesn’t matter if the cheese was made from grass-fed milk or not — the bacteria used to culture the cheese is the same. Grass-fed dairy is important for the other reasons I’ve already discussed — just not specifically for the K2.

To summarize then, if you’re going to select cheese with your primary goal being a good source of vitamin K2, the best ones are:
•Gouda
•Brie
•Edam
•Other cheeses with lesser, but significant, levels of K2: Cheddar, Colby, hard goat cheese, Swiss, and Gruyere.12

Smile and Say Cheese!

Cheese lovers rejoice! Don’t be afraid to add healthy high quality cheese to your diet. Cheese offers a synergistic blend of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids, including the magic trio of vitamin D3, vitamin K2 and calcium. This nutrient triad is vitally important for reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. And don’t be afraid of raw cheese (as long as it comes from a reputable cheesemaker), which beats ordinary cheese in both taste and nutrition.

Your best option is cheese made from the milk of pasture-raised cows, sheep and goats, as opposed to feedlot livestock fed grain and soy.

Although some cheeses are fairly high in salt, their sodium levels pale in comparison to those in common fast foods, processed foods and popular restaurant entrees that make up a large part of the standard American diet. My top picks are Gouda, Brie, and Edam cheese, but you can’t go wrong with high quality cheddar, Swiss, Colby, Gruyere, and goat cheese.

For an extensive website about cheeses, including a database that’s searchable by name, country of origin, type of milk, and even texture, you might enjoy Cheese.com.

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Viral Gene in Genetically Engineered Foods Could Promote Disease

I’ve previously warned of the potential dangers of genetically engineered (GE) foods for many years now, pointing out that such crops might have wholly unforeseen consequences.

In recent years, such suspicions have increasingly proven correct, and now researchers have released yet another bombshell.

Genetic manipulation of crops, and more recently food animals, is a dangerous game that has repeatedly revealed that assumptions about how genetic alterations work and the effects it has on animals and humans who consume such foods, are deeply flawed and incomplete.

At present, the only way to avoid GE foods is to ditch processed foods from your grocery list, and revert back to whole foods grown according to organic standards.

Regulators Discover a Hidden Viral Gene in Commercial GMO Crops

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently published a paper titled, “Possible Consequences of the overlap between the CaMV 35S promoter regions in the plant transformation vectors used in the viral gene VI in transgenic plants,”1 which has many questioning the safety of GE crops that have already been on the market for two decades.

One way to achieve a genetic modification in a plant is to piggyback a chosen gene on a plant virus, such as the Cauliflower Mosaic virus. Here, they discovered that the most commonly used genetic regulatory sequence (i.e. that which drives the gene expression within the plant), called CaMV 35S promoter, also encodes a gene fragment of the virus, in addition to the desired genetic trait being inserted.

The viral gene fragment in question is called Gene VI, and this encoding may have human health ramifications. According to EFSA,2 they’ve known all along that certain GE crops contained Gene VI, which belongs to the Cauliflower Mosaic virus.

This virus can infect a variety of different plants. It’s not a virus that can directly infect animals or humans. However, while the agency claims the virus poses no direct threat to animal or human health for this reason, others vehemently disagree.

According to an article in Independent Science News,3 written by plant pathology researchers Jonathan Latham and Allison Wilson:4

“In general, viral genes expressed in plants raise both agronomic and human health concerns (reviewed in Latham and Wilson 2008.)5 This is because many viral genes function to disable their host in order to facilitate pathogen invasion. Often, this is achieved by incapacitating specific anti-pathogen defenses.

Incorporating such genes could clearly lead to undesirable and unexpected outcomes in agriculture. Furthermore, viruses that infect plants are often not that different from viruses that infect humans.

For example, sometimes the genes of human and plant viruses are interchangeable, while on other occasions inserting plant viral fragments as transgenes has caused the genetically altered plant to become susceptible to an animal virus…

Thus, in various ways, inserting viral genes accidentally into crop plants and the food supply confers a significant potential for harm.”

Hazard to Public Health has Not Been Ruled Out

GE crops affected include Roundup Ready soybeans, MON810 maize, and NK603 maize, the latter of which was recently linked to massive tumor growth and organ damage in rats in a French lifetime feeding study. All in all, 54 out of 84 approved GE crops contain the toxic gene.

According to the featured article, the EFSA researchers admit the Gene VI fragments “might result in unintended phenotypic changes,”6 as similar fragments of this gene have previously been demonstrated to have independent activity.

“In other words, the EFSA researchers were unable to rule out a hazard to public health or the environment,” Latham and Wilson write.7

“…In the course of analysis to identify potential allergens in GMO crops, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has belatedly discovered that the most common genetic regulatory sequence in commercial GMOs also encodes a significant fragment of a viral gene (Podevin and du Jardin 2012).

This finding has serious ramifications for crop biotechnology and its regulation, but possibly even greater ones for consumers and farmers. This is because there are clear indications that this viral gene (called Gene VI) might not be safe for human consumption. It also may disturb the normal functioning of crops, including their natural pest resistance.”

Total Recall is ‘the Only Reasonable Course of Action’

Latham and Wilson go on to discuss how a regulatory agency could go about announcing such a monumental screw-up. After all, GE crops have been approved and deemed “safe” for some 20 years, and EFSA admits it has known about Gene VI for some time.

One option would be to recall all affected GE crops, which could effectively spell the end to crop biotechnology as a whole. We know this is not going to happen in the US as biotech, Monsanto specifically, has leveraged the revolving door between industry and the federal regulatory agencies that are responsible for this type of monitoring. The classic case of the fox guarding the henhouse and federal agencies are simply not going to act because of this.

Another possibility would be to do a retrospective risk assessment of the CaMV promoter and its Gene VI sequences, “and hope to give it a clean bill of health.” A third option would be to evaluate the seriousness of the hazard by monitoring reports of harm. Unfortunately, this option has been and still is impossible to pursue, as not a single country has carried out any type of GE monitoring. In the US, we still don’t even have GE labeling, so reporting adverse health effects is a logistical impossibility.

“Unsurprisingly, EFSA chose option two,” Latham and Wilson write. “However, their investigation resulted only in the vague and unreassuring conclusion that Gene VI ‘might result in unintended phenotypic changes’… This means literally, that changes of an unknown number, nature, or magnitude may (or may not) occur. It falls well short of the solid scientific reassurance of public safety needed to explain why EFSA has not ordered a recall.”

I recommend reading the featured article8 in its entirety, as the researchers go into some detail about the known functions of Gene VI, and why it might indeed have repercussions for human health. These concerns include but are not limited to:
•Gene VI is an inhibitor of RNA silencing, which leads to aberrant gene expression in GE plants, with unknown consequences
•As a unique transactivator of gene expression, Gene VI could presumably result in the production of a variety of random proteins within cells. Such proteins could include allergens and toxins, in addition to harmless proteins. The end result would differ for each crop species
•Gene VI has two mechanisms by which it interferes with plant anti-pathogen defenses — one of which was unknown to EFSA researchers at the time their findings went to press. According to Latham and Wilson, “the discovery of an entirely new function for gene VI while EFSA’s paper was in press, also makes clear that a full appraisal of all the likely effects of Gene VI is not currently achievable”
•Plants expressing Gene VI exhibit gene expression abnormalities, which indicate that the protein produced by Gene VI functions as a toxin. The known targets of Gene VI activity are also found in human cells, so there is potential for this plant toxin to also have toxic effects on humans

According to Latham and Wilson, the retroactive risk assessment performed by EFSA clearly shows CaMV 35S promoter-containing GE crops have the potential to harm human health. Therefore, the only course of action left is to order a total recall — option number one, as discussed above.

“This recall should also include GMOs containing the FMV promoter and its own overlapping Gene VI,” they write.

Never Assume Anything — Especially When Tinkering with Genes!

The authors of the featured story make a really important point in their article — one that you’d be well advised to remember when it comes to discussions about safety:

“No-one knows, for example, what quantity, location or timing of protein production would be of significance for risk assessment, and so answers necessary to perform science-based risk assessment are unlikely to emerge soon.”

If you don’t even know what might be of significance, then how can you possibly assess risks? And if you cannot assess risk, how can you proclaim something is safe? They continue:

“It is perhaps the most basic assumption in all of risk assessment that the developer of a new product provides regulators with accurate information about what is being assessed. Perhaps the next most basic assumption is that regulators independently verify this information. We now know, however, that for over 20 years neither of those simple expectations have been met.

Major public universities, biotech multinationals, and government regulators everywhere, seemingly did not appreciate the relatively simple possibility that the DNA constructs they were responsible for encoded a viral gene.

This lapse occurred despite the fact that Gene VI was not truly hidden; the relevant information on the existence of Gene VI has been freely available in the scientific literature since well before the first biotech approval… We ourselves have offered specific warnings that viral sequences could contain unsuspected genes…9 The inability of risk assessment processes to incorporate longstanding and repeated scientific findings is every bit as worrisome as the failure to intellectually anticipate the possibility of overlapping genes when manipulating viral sequences.

…Even now that EFSA’s own researchers have belatedly considered the risk issues, no one can say whether the public has been harmed, though harm appears a clear scientific possibility. Considered from the perspective of professional and scientific risk assessment, this situation represents a complete and catastrophic system failure.”

Monsanto Company Joins WBCS

Ironically, while their GE products are increasingly being revealed as far from suitable for human consumption, Monsanto joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).10, 11 According to their January 22, press release:

“Monsanto, a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that aim to improve farm productivity and food quality, joins WBCSD and is offering the WBCSD’s Business Ecosystems Training (BET) course globally for employees. The BET course will enhance employees’ awareness and understanding of the links between ecosystems and business.

‘…In joining the WBCSD, Monsanto is taking an important step along a continuum towards developing a more sustainable agriculture system – one that improves our daily lives, respects our global environment and recognizes the importance of the world’s small-holder farmers,’ said Peter Bakker, President, WBCSD. ‘We must find new ways to protect soils, enhance ecosystems and optimize land use in ways that are environmentally sound…'”

I can’t think of a company less suited for the job… As pointed out by Latham and Allison:

“A further key point relates to the biotech industry and their campaign to secure public approval and a permissive regulatory environment. This has led them to repeatedly claim, firstly, that GMO technology is precise and predictable; and secondly, that their own competence and self-interest would prevent them from ever bringing potentially harmful products to the market; and thirdly, to assert that only well studied and fully understood transgenes are commercialized.

It is hard to imagine a finding more damaging to these claims than the revelations surrounding Gene VI.

Biotechnology, it is often forgotten, is not just a technology. It is an experiment in the proposition that human institutions can perform adequate risk assessments on novel living organisms. Rather than treat that question as primarily a daunting scientific one, we should for now consider that the primary obstacle will be overcoming the much more mundane trap of human complacency and incompetence. We are not there yet, and therefore this incident will serve to reinforce the demands for GMO labeling in places where it is absent.”

Keep Fighting for Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods

While California Prop. 37 failed to pass last November, by a very narrow margin, the fight for GMO labeling is far from over. The field-of-play has now moved to the state of Washington, where the people’s initiative 522, “The People’s Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act,” will require food sold in retail outlets to be labeled if it contains genetically engineered ingredients. As stated on LabelWA.org:

“Calorie and nutritional information were not always required on food labels. But since 1990 it has been required and most consumers use this information every day. Country-of-origin labeling wasn’t required until 2002. The trans fat content of foods didn’t have to be labeled until 2006. Now, all of these labeling requirements are accepted as important for consumers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also says we must know with labeling if our orange juice is from fresh oranges or frozen concentrate.

Doesn’t it make sense that genetically engineered foods containing experimental viral, bacterial, insect, plant or animal genes should be labeled, too? Genetically engineered foods do not have to be tested for safety before entering the market. No long-term human feeding studies have been done. The research we have is raising serious questions about the impact to human health and the environment.

I-522 provides the transparency people deserve. I-522 will not raise costs to consumers or food producers. It simply would add more information to food labels, which manufacturers change routinely anyway, all the time. I-522 does not impose any significant cost on our state. It does not require the state to conduct label surveillance, or to initiate or pursue enforcement. The state may choose to do so, as a policy choice, but I-522 was written to avoid raising costs to the state or consumers.”

Vermont has also created a Right to Know Campaign.

Remember, as with CA Prop. 37, these are people’s initiatives, and they need support of people like YOU to succeed. Prop. 37 failed with a very narrow margin simply because we didn’t have the funds to counter the massive ad campaigns created by the No on 37 camp, led by Monsanto and other major food companies. Let’s not allow Monsanto and its allies to confuse and mislead the people of Washington and Vermont as they did in California. So please, I urge you to get involved and help in any way you can, regardless of what state you live in.
•No matter where you live in the United States, please donate money to these labeling efforts through the Organic Consumers Fund.
•If you live in Washington State, please sign the I-522 petition. You can also volunteer to help gather signatures across the state.
•If you live in Vermont, please sign the VT Right to Know GMO’s petition.
•For timely updates on issues relating to these and other labeling initiatives, please join the Organic Consumers Association on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.
•Talk to organic producers and stores and ask them to actively support the Washington and Vermont initiatives.

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Healthy Digestion – A true immune system builder

Posted by sethluker on March 14, 2011 21 Comments

Since battling a digestive disease for the last 6 years, healthy digestion has been a major focus in my journey towards optimal function. This is a subject that most folks fail to think about until a problem arises and then they just go the doctor and slap a band-aid on the gunshot wound and keep moving forward with eating the same detrimental regimen. So in this article, along with the help from an article by Dr David Foreman, I want to touch on a few points about healthy digestion and how it plays a major role in our entire existence.

Digestive Issues: Inside the numbers
1.More than 60 million Americans experience heartburn at least once a month, about 25 million are daily suffers
2.Chronic gastrointestinal disorders plague more than 95 million Americans
3.Two of the top five most widely prescribed prescription drugs in this country are for digestive disorders
4.Digestion-related problems cost Americans more than 100 billion dollars annually
5.Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths behind lung cancer.

I would hope that these numbers grab your attention, and that you can see why we should focus on our digestive process. Optimal nutrition begins and ends with healthy digestion. Instead of “death begins in the colon” we should say “life begins in the digestive tract.”

The 4 Functions of the Digestive System
1.Digestion: breaks down food into micro-particles
2.Absorption: Converts nutrients into absorbable forms
3.Elimination: Removes waste / toxins
4.Immunity: Protects from foreign microbes either in or on your foods

The Keys to Healthy Digestion

A healthy digestive system is built on 4 Pillars: Diet, Exercise, Spirituality, and Supplementation. We know that a diet high in fiber and water and low in bad fats and refined foods will lead to a healthier digestive system. We know that exercise will improve digestion (for multiple reasons). We know that spirituality (reduction of stressors, etc) will dramatically improve the digestive process. Supplements can and do play a critical role for all of us, whether or not we have a digestive disorder.

Risk Factors for Digestive Problems

Before we get into what supplements we need, let’s take a look at what factors can increase your risk of developing digestive problems.
1.Poor diet
2.Pregnancy
3.High Stress
4.Overweight
5.Dehydration
6.Habitual eating on the go
7.Dairy Consumption
8.Use of antibiotics
9.Use of OTC or prescription antacids
10.Health issues (diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular, arthritis, depression, eating disorders, etc.)

The bottom line is this, it is believed that more than 70% of your entire immune system is based in your gut. In other words, if your gut is healthy there is a good chance that you are healthy as well. So let’s fix our digestive system!! There are a few key areas to look at in the supplement section of your local vitamin store: probiotics, digestive enzymes, fiber, cleansing supplementation are some great areas to begin.

Probiotics

In short, probiotics are a friendly bacteria that are found in your digestive system. They serve two purposes: they complete the digestive process and help protect against pathogens (disease-causing bacteria, fungus, yeast, etc.) found in your food. Without enough of these beneficial bacteria, you will be unable fully digest your food particles into “micro” particles, or convert some of those nutrients in the absorbable or usable forms that the body needs. Probiotics are essential for the absorption of nutrients, and also help the body to synthesize Vitamin B and K, absorb minerals and digest proteins, fats, carbohydrates and fiber. Throw in the benefits to your immune system and we have a winner. Probiotics are depleted by stress, aging, high carbohydrate diets, antibiotic use and also by consuming non-purified water and non-organic foods. Lack of proper levels of probiotics can also lead to overgrowth of E.coli and H.pylori.

Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes are used to help support the breakdown of your foods. I often estimate that 70+% of your body’s energy goes into digesting foods. Coming up short on enough digestive enzymes will lead to nutrient depletion, and having foods particles go through your system undigested. this can lead to problems such as toxin buildup, flatulence, odor issues, allergies, sensitivities and more. The primary digestive enzymes are: protease (for proteins), amylase (starches), lipase (fats), cellulase (plant cell membranes). There are also targeted enzymes available for specific needs, such as lactase for lactose intolerance.

Fiber

Fiber should never be overlooked. The average diet contains around 20 grams of fiber each day yet we should be consuming 35+ grams per day. Fiber can help you manage your weight, balance blood sugar, lower cholesterol, keep your digestive tract clean, decrease constipation and diarrhea, and improve immune function, reduce your risk of heart attack and much more than is listed here. Fiber can be described as a toothbrush of the colon. Regardless, fiber is another critical component in digestive system health. If you cant get enough fiber from your diet (fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes, etc.) then you need to supplement. The most popular fiber sources are psyllium and flax seeds. You can also find chia seeds, inulin and glucomannan at your local vitamin store. All of these are great fiber sources but I prefer flax and chia seeds.

Cleansing

Cleansing is something that often gets overlooked with regard to digestive maintenance and care. Colon cleansing and liver cleansing will help keep your colon, liver, and gallbladder clean and functional. We need to cleanse all systems, but for those with digestive issues, periodic colon and liver cleansing is even more important. Cleansing will help eliminate the buildup of environmental toxins, metals, airborne chemicals, water and foods we consume. Cleansing will help improve energy, digestive function, immune function, nervous system function, hormonal balance, sleep, skin and a whole lot more!!!

Supplements

Finally, there are many other supplements that support healthy digestion. Many of these can be purchased separately (or in combination formula) to address your specific digestive issues. Here is a short list to get you started.
1.Ginger: indigestion
2.Slippery Elm: soothing
3.DGL: heartburn and acid reflux
4.Dandelion: constipation, indigestion
5.Mastic Gum: heartburn and acid reflux
6.Peppermint: indigestion, cramping, gas
7.Magnesium: safe and effective for constipation
8.Aloe: soothes inflammation and helps with constipation

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

It’s probably no secret that gluten (a protein composite found in wheat, rye, and barley) is bad news for your health and fatloss goals alike. After all, gluten sensitivity affects more than 20 MILLION adults nationwide and has been linked to more than 130 symptoms, including some MAJOR conditions like skin diseases, lupus, multiple sclerosis, thyroid disease, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine headaches, and a host of others.

And then of course there’s the even more common side effects associated with gluten to be wary of…symptoms like gas & bloating, constipation, fatigue, joint pain, inflammation, sugar cravings, weight gain, and obesity…and the list goes on!

But you probably ALSO know that gluten is found in just about everything, including many of the foods we’ve come to love and enjoy like pasta, bread, bagels, muffins, and other baked goods, couscous, cereal, soups, dressings, and crackers (including all whole-wheat versions of these products), as well as many of our “cheat day” favorites like cookies, cakes, pizza, and one of my personal favorites…BEER (even the non-alcoholic varieties).

Even worse, try going out to eat — virtually impossible to avoid gluten. If it’s not “obviously” part of the meal as something like bread or pasta, it’ll very likely be hidden in the dressings and sauces…it’s everywhere.

Of course, you could vow to never eat bread, pasta, and cereal again (highly unrealistic) as well as all of the other foods mentioned above (bagels, muffins, and other baked goods, crackers, tortillas, pizza, beer, and all those other goodies)…that’s one option.

Even so, knowing that gluten is hidden in so many foods that you would never even think or realize it’s in makes completely “eliminating” gluten a rather inconvenient, time-consuming, and unmanageable task in and of itself.

But what if you could have your cake and eat it, too? Yes, what if you could still eat gluten-containing foods while still avoiding the negative side effects of gluten consumption?

You see, at BioTrust we didn’t think that giving up gluten containing foods was a realistic, manageable solution to the gluten dilemma.

Now don’t get me wrong, some folks DO do it (like those with celiac disease who have no other choice), and if you personally plan on eliminating all of the above mentioned foods permanently from your diet while scientifically dissecting every meal you eat to determine whether or not it may contain gluten, then forgive me, the rest of this message doesn’t apply to you.

But if you’re like me and you still plan to enjoy pasta, bread, cereal, and/or a beer or piece of dessert from time to time, then you’ll be happy to know that we went to the drawing board to develop a better, easier solution for folks like us.

And that solution is called GlutenGone™: A dynamic duo of 2 unique digestive enzymes (Aspergillopepsin and DPPIV) that has been shown in very recent research to be unmatched in its ability to fully digest gluten.

You see, the problems with gluten only arise when your body fails to fully break down and digest gluten properly, and unfortunately many folks are deficient in the enzymes required to fully break down numerous nutrients, especially gluten. GlutenGone™ makes that a non-issue by providing you with those enzymes so you can “have your cake and eat it, too”.

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If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.

Processed food is perhaps the most damaging aspect of most people’s diet, contributing to poor health and chronic disease. One of the primary culprits is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the dangers of which I touch on in virtually every article on diet I write.

The second culprit is partially hydrogenated soybean oil.

These two ingredients, either alone or in combination, can be found in virtually all processed foods and one can make a compelling argument that the reliance on these two foods is a primary contributing factor for most of the degenerative diseases attacking Americans today.

Part of the problem with partially hydrogenated soybean oil is the trans fat it contains. The other part relates to the health hazards of soy itself. And an added hazard factor is the fact that the majority of both corn and soybeans are genetically engineered.

As the negative health effects from trans fats have been identified and recognized, the agricultural- and food industry have scrambled to come up with new alternatives.

Partially hydrogenated soybean oil has been identified as the main culprit, and for good reason. Unfortunately, saturated fats are still mistakenly considered unhealthy by many health “experts,” so rather than embracing truly healthful tropical fats like coconut oil, which is mostly grown outside the US. The food industry has instead turned to domestic US alternatives offered by companies like Monsanto, which has developed modified soybeans that don’t require hydrogenation.

Why Hydrogenate?

Americans consume more than 28 billion pounds of edible oils annually, and soybean oil accounts for about 65 percent of it. About half of it is hydrogenated, as soybean oil is too unstable otherwise to be used in food manufacturing. One of the primary reasons for hydrogenating oil is to prolong its shelf life. Raw butter, for example, is likely to go rancid far quicker than margarine.

The process also makes the oil more stable and raises its melting point, which allows it to be used in various types of food processing that uses high temperatures.

Hydrogenated oil1 is made by forcing hydrogen gas into the oil at high pressure. Virtually any oil can be hydrogenated. Margarine is a good example, in which nearly half of the fat content is trans fat. The process that creates partially hydrogenated oil alters the chemical composition of essential fatty acids, such as reducing or removing linolenic acid, a highly reactive triunsaturated fatty acid, transforming it into the far less reactive linoleic acid, thereby greatly preventing oxidative rancidity when used in cooking.

In the late 1990’s, researchers began realizing this chemical alteration might actually have adverse health effects. Since then, scientists have verified this to the point of no dispute.

Beware that there’s a difference between “fully hydrogenated” and “partially hydrogenated” oils. Whereas partially hydrogenated oil contains trans fat, fully hydrogenated oil does not, as taking the hydrogenation process “all the way” continues the molecular transformation of the fatty acids from trans fat into saturated fatty acids. Fully hydrogenated soybean oil is still not a healthy choice however, for reasons I’ll explain below. The following slide presentation explains the technical aspects relating to the hydrogenation process.

This is a Flash-based video and may not be viewable on mobile devices.

The Health Hazards of Trans Fats Found in Partially Hydrogenated Oil

The completely unnatural man-made fats created through the partial hydrogenation process cause dysfunction and chaos in your body on a cellular level, and studies have linked trans-fats to:

Cancer, by interfering with enzymes your body uses to fight cancer

Chronic health problems such as obesity, asthma, auto-immune disease, cancer, and bone degeneration

Diabetes, by interfering with the insulin receptors in your cell membranes

Heart disease, by clogging your arteries (Among women with underlying coronary heart disease, eating trans-fats increased the risk of sudden cardiac arrest three-fold!)

Decreased immune function, by reducing your immune response

Increase blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, while lowering levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol

Reproductive problems by interfering with enzymes needed to produce sex hormones

Interfering with your body’s use of beneficial omega-3 fats

As usual, it took many years before conventional health recommendations caught up and began warning about the use of trans fats. Not surprisingly, as soon as the FDA required food manufacturers to list trans fat content on the label — which took effect on January 1, 2006 — the industry began searching for viable alternatives to appeal to consumers who increasingly began looking for the “No Trans Fat” designation. It didn’t take long before Monsanto had tinkered forth a genetically engineered soybean that is low in linolenic acid, which we’ll get to in a moment.

Beware that some food manufacturers have opted to simply fool buyers — a tactic allowed by the FDA as any product containing up to half a gram of trans fat per serving can still legally claim to have zero trans fat2. The trick is to reduce the serving size to bring it below this threshold. At times, this will result in unreasonably tiny serving sizes, so any time you check a label and a serving is something like 10 chips or one cookie, it probably contains trans fats.

The Health Hazards of Soybeans

Besides the health hazards related to the trans fats created by the partial hydrogenation process, soybean oil is, in and of itself, NOT a healthy oil. Add to that the fact that the majority of soy grown in the US is genetically engineered, which may have additional health consequences. When taken together, partially hydrogenated GE soybean oil becomes one of the absolute worst types of oils you can consume.

Years ago, tropical oils, such as palm and coconut oil, were commonly used in American food production. However, these are obviously not grown in the US. With the exception of Hawaii, our climate isn’t tropical enough. Spurred on by financial incentives, the industry devised a plan to shift the market from tropical oils to something more “home grown.” As a result, a movement was created to demonize and vilify tropical oils in order to replace them with domestically grown oils such as corn and soy.

The fat in soybean oil is primarily omega-6 fat. And while we do need some, it is rare for anyone to be deficient as it is pervasive in our diet. Americans in general consume FAR too much omega-6 in relation to omega-3 fat, primarily due to the excessive amount of omega-6 found in processed foods. Omega-6 fats are in nearly every animal food and many plants, so deficiencies are very rare. This omega-6 fat is also highly processed and therefore damaged, which compounds the problem of getting so much of it in your diet. The omega-6 found in soybean oil promotes chronic inflammation in your body, which is an underlying issue for virtually all chronic diseases.

What About Organic Soybean Oil?

Even if you were fortunate enough to find organic soybean oil, there are still several significant concerns that make it far from attractive from a health standpoint. Soy in and of itself, organically grown or not, contains a number of problematic components that can wreak havoc with your health, such as:
•Goitrogens – Goitrogens, found in all unfermented soy whether it’s organic or not, are substances that block the synthesis of thyroid hormones and interfere with iodine metabolism, thereby interfering with your thyroid function.
•Isoflavones: genistein and daidzein – Isoflavones are a type of phytoestrogen, which is a plant compound resembling human estrogen, which is why some recommend using soy therapeutically to treat symptoms of menopause. I believe the evidence is highly controversial and doubt it works. Typically, most of us are exposed to too much estrogen compounds and have a lower testosterone level than ideal, so it really is important to limit exposure to feminizing phytoestrogens. Even more importantly, there’s evidence it may disturb endocrine function, cause infertility, and promote breast cancer, which is definitely a significant concern.
•Phytic acid — Phytates (phytic acid) bind to metal ions, preventing the absorption of certain minerals, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc — all of which are co-factors for optimal biochemistry in your body. This is particularly problematic for vegetarians, because eating meat reduces the mineral-blocking effects of these phytates.

Sometimes it can be beneficial, especially in postmenopausal women and in most adult men because we tend to have levels of iron that are too high which can be a very potent oxidant and cause biological stress. However, phytic acid does not necessarily selectively inhibit just iron absorption; it inhibits all minerals. This is very important to remember, as many already suffer from mineral deficiencies from inadequate diets.

The soybean has one of the highest phytate levels of any grain or legume, and the phytates in soy are highly resistant to normal phytate-reducing techniques such as long, slow cooking. Only a long period of fermentation will significantly reduce the phytate content of soybeans.
•Natural toxins known as “anti-nutrients” — Soy also contains other anti-nutritional factors such as saponins, soyatoxin, protease inhibitors, and oxalates. Some of these factors interfere with the enzymes you need to digest protein. While a small amount of anti-nutrients would not likely cause a problem, the amount of soy that many Americans are now eating is extremely high.
•Hemagglutinin — Hemagglutinin is a clot-promoting substance that causes your red blood cells to clump together. These clumped cells are unable to properly absorb and distribute oxygen to your tissues.

Worst of All — Genetically Engineered Soybean Oil

The genetically engineered (GE) variety planted on over 90 percent of US soy acres is Roundup Ready — engineered to survive being doused with otherwise lethal amounts of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide. The logic behind Roundup Ready crops such as soy is that you can decrease the cost of production by killing off everything except the actual soy plant.

However, animal studies reveal there may be significant adverse health effects from these GE soybeans, including progressively increased rates of infertility with each passing generation. By the third generation, virtually all the hamsters in one feeding study were found to be infertile. Second-generation hamsters raised on GE soy also had a five-fold higher infant mortality rate.

Are Low-Linolenic Soybeans the Answer?

We now also have other Monsanto-made soy crops to contend with. Responding to the growing demand for healthier diets, Monsanto launched Vistive low-linolenic soybeans in 2005. Most soybeans contain roughly seven percent linolenic acid. The new varieties contain one to three percent. As explained by Monsanto3:

“The oil from these beans can reduce or virtually eliminate trans fat in processed soybean oil… Vistive low-linolenic soybeans have lower levels of linolenic acid. Because of these lower levels, which were achieved through traditional breeding practices4, the oil produced by Vistive low-linolenic seeds does not require hydrogenation, the process that is used to increase shelf life and flavor stability in fried foods, baked goods, snack products and other processed foods.”

Yet another soybean variety created by Monsanto is the high stearate soybean, which also has the properties of margarine and shortening without hydrogenation. But are these soybeans any better or safer than either conventional soybeans or Roundup Ready soybeans, even though they don’t have to go through partial hydrogenation, and therefore do not contain trans fat? No one knows.

Another Hazard of GE Soybeans: Glyphosate

I keep stacking health risks upon health risks, and here’s another one: Research has shown that soybean oil from Roundup Ready soy is loaded with glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup — the broad-spectrum herbicide created by Monsanto.

According to a report in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, the highest MRL for glyphosate in food and feed products in the EU is 20 mg/kg. GE soybeans have been found to contain residue levels as high as 17 mg/kg, and malformations in frog and chicken embryos occurred at 2.03 mg/kg.5 That’s 10 times lower than the MRL.

This is an alarming finding because glyphosate is easily one of the world’s most overlooked poisons. Research published in 2010 showed that the chemical, which works by inhibiting an enzyme called EPSP synthase that is necessary for plants to grow, causes birth defects in frogs and chicken embryos at far lower levels than used in agricultural and garden applications.6 The malformations primarily affected the:
•Skull
•Face
•Midline and developing brain
•Spinal cord

When applied to crops, glyphosate becomes systemic throughout the plant, so it cannot be washed off. And once you eat this crop, the glyphosate ends up in your gut where it can decimate your beneficial bacteria. This can wreak havoc with your health as 80 percent of your immune system resides in your gut (GALT – Gut Associated Lymph Tissue) and is dependent on a healthy ratio of good and bad bacteria. Separate research has also uncovered the following effects from glyphosate:

Endocrine disruption

DNA damage

Developmental toxicity

Neurotoxicity

Reproductive toxicity

Cancer

To Avoid Harmful Fats of All Kinds, Ditch Processed Foods

If you want to avoid dangerous fats of all kinds, your best bet is to eliminate processed foods from your diet. From there, use these tips to make sure you’re eating the right fats for your health:
•Use organic butter (preferably made from raw milk) instead of margarines and vegetable oil spreads. Butter is a healthy whole food that has received an unwarranted bad rap.
•Use coconut oil for cooking. It is far superior to any other cooking oil and is loaded with health benefits.
•Be sure to eat raw fats, such as those from avocados, raw dairy products, olive oil, olives, organic pastured eggs, and raw nuts, especially macadamia nuts which are relatively low in protein. Also take a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fat, such as krill oil.

Following my comprehensive nutrition plan will automatically reduce your trans-fat intake, as it will give you a guide to focus on healthy whole foods instead of processed junk food. Remember, virtually all processed foods will contain either HFCS (probably made from genetically engineered corn) and/or soybean oil — either in the form of partially hydrogenated soybean oil, which is likely made from GE soybeans, loaded with glyphosate, or from one of the newer soybean varieties that were created such that they do not need to be hydrogenated. They’re ALL bad news, if you value your health.

If you like what you read, please consider donating to help support my blog, even as little as $5 will help.