10 Ways to Keep Your Pet Healthy

Does our pet have the right stuff? Are you providing your dog or cat with the right stuff to help her have a happy, healthy and long life? There are some things about your pet that you don't have much influence over, for example, her genetics or breed predisposition. But as your furry companion's guardian, there are many things you can provide that can dramatically improve her longevity and quality of life. 1. The Right Nutrition. The food you offer your dog or cat serves as the foundation of a long, healthy life. The right diet supports your pet's immune system, his digestive health, musculoskeletal system, and much more. My first recommendation is always to feed balanced, GMO-free, preferably organic, species-appropriate meals prepared by you, with raw food components. If you don't have the time or inclination to make your own pet food, another option is to feed your pet a balanced, commercially prepared raw, or dehydrated raw diet. If your pet has medical issues and you are concerned about pathogens in raw food, look for brands that have undergone high-pressure pasteurization (HPP). These pathogen-free foods are actually the cleanest, most sterile pet foods currently on the market. 2. The Right Weight. When feeding your pet for good health and a long life, you must also offer the appropriate portions for his size, age, and activity level. Calculate how many calories your dog or cat should consume each day to maintain an optimum weight, and practice portion control to insure your four-legged family member doesn't become a pet obesity statistic. Overweight cats and dogs have a poor quality of life – and a significantly shorter life -- compared to their lean counterparts. 3. The Right Exercise. A well-exercised pet is naturally much healthier than her under-exercised peers, and your pet's overall physical conditioning contributes to (or detracts from) her longevity. Both dogs and cats need the mental stimulation that playtime and exercise provide so they don't grow bored or develop neurotic coping mechanisms. Your furry companion is a natural athlete. Regular aerobic exertion and playtime are necessary for a sound frame, good muscle strength and tone, and mental stimulation. 4. The Right Healthcare. I recommend twice-yearly veterinary wellness visits for a very simple reason: animals don't get sick overnight. The progression from health to illness happens in stages. Dogs and cats typically look and behave normally on the outside even though trouble is brewing beneath the surface. Often it's not until they're quite sick that they start showing signs. The goal of regularly scheduled wellness visits is to stop a slide toward ill health before full-blown disease develops. Pets age exponentially, compared to humans. Their lifespans are generally 10-20 years, depending on breed and genetics. That means their wellness protocols (including diet, supplements, and exercise programs) will change dynamically over time, based on physical exam changes and bloodwork changes. 5. The Right Vaccination Protocol. As the truth about the potential dangers of vaccines slowly emerges, more veterinarians are acknowledging that vaccines are not the benign "preventive" tools they were once thought to be. If your vet is still recommending yearly core vaccinations, ask that antibody titer tests be done instead to measure your pet's current immunity. The fact is that most pets who were properly vaccinated as puppies or kittens are protected for life against most life-threatening viral diseases. 6. The Right Dental Hygiene. Studies link gum disease and heart disease in humans and dogs (studies on cats are hard to find, but it's reasonable to assume a similar link exists for felines). If your pet develops periodontal disease, the surface of the gums will be weakened. This tissue breakdown allows mouth bacteria to invade your pet's bloodstream and travel throughout his body. I recommend brushing your pet's teeth every day, or several times a week at a minimum, in conjunction with providing appropriate raw bones, chews, and dental bones. I also suggest performing routine mouth inspections in which you look inside your dog's or cat's mouth, feel around for loose teeth or unusual lumps or bumps on the tongue, under the tongue, along the gum line, and on the roof of the mouth. It's also important that your vet completes a thorough oral exam during each wellness visit. He or she will alert you to any existing or potential problems in your pet's mouth, and recommend professional teeth cleaning, if necessary. 7. The Right Supervision. As much as you may want to allow your pet to run free in the great outdoors, it's generally a bad idea except in certain very specific circumstances. Most of the time the risks (automobile traffic, thieves, animal predators, poisons, rotting food, disease-carrying wildlife, etc.) far outweigh the benefits. Your dog should be on a leash whenever you leave the house. Exceptions might be at an off-leash dog park, or on a hiking trail or beach that allows off-leash dogs. He should also be dependably responsive to verbal commands like sit, stay, drop it, etc. If your cat goes outside, he should be in a harness with a leash, or in a safe outdoor cat enclosure. 8. The Right Body Maintenance. Keeping your dog or cat active through exercise is one of the best ways to maintain musculoskeletal integrity and organ health. In order for your dog or cat to enjoy not just a long life, but also a vibrant life, she needs the ability to move around comfortably until her final days. Whatever you do to keep your pet's frame in good working order will go a long way toward maintaining her quality of life, throughout her life. 9. The Right Birth Control. Each of the organs your pet was born with has a job to do, and organ systems are interdependent. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that desexing dogs, especially at an early age, can create health and behavior problems. "Desexing" involves the traditional spay or neuter surgery where all the sex hormone-secreting tissues are removed. "Sterilization" renders the animal no longer able to reproduce, but leaves his or her sex hormone-secreting tissues undamaged. This typically involves a vasectomy for males, and either a tubal ligation or modified spay for females. The modified spay removes the uterus while preserving the hormone-producing ovaries. If neither of these options works for you and your pet is a dog, I recommend holding off on spaying or neutering until your dog is at least 18 months to 2 years of age. 10. The Right Environment. Reduce or eliminate your pet's exposure to toxins. These include chemical pesticides like flea and tick preventives, lawn chemicals (weed killers, herbicides, etc.), tobacco smoke, flame retardants, and household cleaners (detergents, soaps, cleansers, dryer sheets, and room deodorizers). Source: Healthy Pets by Dr. Karen Becker, 5/29/15.

5 Regrets Of The Dying: Think About These

After many years of feeling unfulfilled at her job, Bronnie Ware set out to find something that resonated with her soul. She ended up in palliative care where she spent many years helping those who were dying. Sometime later, she compiled a list of the 5 most common regrets expressed by the people she cared for. The list she collected gained huge popularity, and we are sharing it with you here today because it’s something all of us should keep in mind. Even though it can be hard to think about, this stuff is really important for your happiness right here and now! 1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. - “This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.” 2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard. - “This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.” 3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings. - “Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.” 4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. - “Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.” 5. I wish that I had let myself be happier. - "This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to themselves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.” This is really truthful and beautiful advice, even though it's a bit hard to think about. Take it from the people that have been there, and don't make the same mistake! Share these 5 points, as everyone could use a reminder from time to time. Source: www.huffingtonpost.com, 5/12/15

Treat Back Pain Without Dangerous Drugs

Back pain is a common health issue today that affects at least 8 out of 10 people. It is a prevalent problem among Americans. In fact, statistics from the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) reveal that at least 31 million Americans experience lower back pain at any given time. Chronic back pain has become such a debilitating problem – and it’s costly, too. According to the ACA, Americans spend at least 86 billion dollars each year on back pain—and that’s just for the more easily identified costs! I cannot stress enough that preventing or treating disease is possible without the taking medications. The same is true for back pain. You only need to address the root cause of the problem and improve your lifestyle and the way you eat and move. Below is a discussion of the potential causes of back pain, my recommendations for back pain treatment, and how you can alleviate this problem without putting any additional burden on your health. What Are the Common Causes of Back Pain? - Accidents and sports injuries are the most common causes of chronic back pain. But sometimes, even simple activities or movements – like bending over to pick up an object from the floor – can trigger pain. There are also a number of other factors that can increase your risk of back pain, such as: poor posture, inactivity, poor physical conditioning, internal diseases, obesity, stress and osteoporosis. A Sedentary Lifestyle and Too Much Sitting Put You at Risk of Back Pain. - There is one common denominator among most patients who suffer from severe cases of chronic pain: sedentary lifestyle. A majority of back, neck, and other muscle pains are related to imbalanced distribution of force throughout your body, which is created by working or staying in unnatural positions for extended periods. What’s more, prolonged sitting and poor posture are major risk factors of not only back pain, but also of weight gain, obesity, joint problems, nerve problems and other debilitating diseases. In fact, mounting research found that prolonged sitting is now an independent risk factor for poor health and premature death! The Price You Pay for Poor Emotional Health. - There’s increasing evidence that back pain and other types of pain may be exacerbated by psychological or emotional issues. It is my experience that emotional health and your ability to effectively address your stress is an essential component for optimal health, and can have a major influence on whether or not you're effectively eliminating your pain. The Dangers of Drugs for Back Pain Treatment. - Conventional health care practitioners are quick to prescribe medications like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, and even opioids for chronic pain. But even if these medications can provide immediate back pain relief, their effect is only temporary – the pain will come back sooner or later and in some cases will cause increased sensitivity to pain! What’s more, medications touted to provide back pain relief are saddled with severe side effects. For example, NSAIDs, one of the most commonly prescribed drugs on the market, not only put you at a two- to four-fold higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems, but may also cause: • Severe gastrointestinal problems, like digestive tract bleeding • Increased blood pressure • Kidney problems • Poor tissue healing Be mindful that these side effects of painkillers are not restricted to prescription drugs, but also come from over-the-counter drugs like aspirin, Advil, and Motrin. Opioid painkillers like OxyContin, which are also commonly prescribed for back pain relief, also have a highly addictive nature. In fact, opioids are among the most commonly abused prescription drugs today, and are a leading contributor to the increasing rates of fatal prescription drug overdoses. This is why back pain is now one of the primary reasons why so many American adults get addicted to painkillers. The bottom line is that painkillers always come with risks. Unfortunately, if you consult your conventional physician about your chronic back pain, they will often prescribe a long-term treatment plan that may include anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants and other types of pain medication or even anti-seizure drugs – a poisonous chemical cocktail that will put your health at severe risk! Is Your Physician Prescribing This Expensive But Dangerous Drug for Back Pain? - Big Pharma recently began promoting Humira, an expensive drug with a price tag of nearly 20,000 dollars a year. Humira is touted to help treat ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the axial skeleton, which includes the spine. It is outrageous how drug companies promote this dangerous drug for an exceedingly rare cause of low back pain – one that is only responsible for less than a tenth of a tenth of one percent of low back pain! What’s more, Humira may cause severe side effects, such as: tuberculosis; serious infections; risk of lymphoma and other cancers; hepatitis B; allergic reactions; liver, nervous system, and blood problems; heart failure; immune reactions, such as lupus-like syndrome; and psoriasis. This is just the short list; Humira may have even more damaging effects on your health only to emerge later through post-marketing surveillance in exposed populations who are being forced to act as living guinea pigs. Cut Your Risk of Back Pain Right from the Start! - As with any health condition or disease, preventing back pain is better than trying to cure it after it has set in, and may be too late. So even if you’re not experiencing back pain symptoms, I would recommend you follow these simple tips: 1. Always stretch before any strenuous physical activity. 2. Do not slouch when standing or sitting. 3. If you spend most of your time sitting, pay careful attention to consciously sucking in your belly and rotating your pelvis slightly up. At the same time, you should keep your head back, with your ears over your shoulders. This posture will keep your spine in proper alignment. Do this every hour you’re sitting, holding the muscles tight for several minutes. 4. Sit in chairs or car seats with good lumbar support. 5. Switch your sitting positions often. I would also recommend periodically walking around. 6. Avoid bending over without supporting your back. 7. Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes. 8. Sleep on your side or back. You should also sleep on a firm surface. 9. When weight-lifting using your legs, always keep your back straight. 10. Maintain an optimal weight. 11. Quit smoking. 12. Get enough vitamin D from sun exposure daily, as vitamin D helps keep your bones, including your spine, strong. 13. Drink plenty of water. Since your body is composed mostly of water, staying hydrated will keep you fluid and reduce stiffness. How to Relieve Back Pain Naturally. - If you are already suffering from chronic back pain or pain of any kind, you should understand that there are many safe and effective alternatives to prescription and over-the-counter painkillers, though they may require some patience. Here are some strategies I highly recommend: 1) Chiropractic Care - One of the best tactics to help treat back pain is to see a qualified chiropractor. I am an avid supporter of the chiropractic philosophy, which puts great emphasis on your body's innate healing wisdom and does not rely on “Band-Aids” like drugs and surgery. The problem is that a lot of people ignore chiropractic care, thinking that it’s just “pushing bones into place.” However, there’s a whole lot more to chiropractic care. Qualified chiropractors are reliable, as they have received extensive training in the management of musculoskeletal disorders during their course of their healthcare training, which lasts between four to six years. Many studies have confirmed that chiropractic management is much safer and less expensive than allopathic medical treatments, especially when used for low-back pain treatment. What’s more, researchers have also found that chiropractic adjustments may affect the chemistry of biological processes on a cellular level. Chiropractic care can affect the basic physiological processes that profoundly influence oxidative stress, immune function and DNA repair. This means that aside from addressing any immediate spinal misalignment that might cause back pain, chiropractic care can also help address, prevent and treat deeper dysfunctions in your body. 2) Exercises for Back Pain - Exercise and being physically active help strengthen and stabilize the muscles of your spine, radically reducing back pain. In almost all cases I give exercises to patients to help increase pain-free range of motion, strengthen and stabilize their spine. Patients that do these exercises usually have less flare-ups in the future. 3) Yoga - Yoga may be an effective strategy for alleviating back pain by making people more aware of how they move their bodies. 4) Massage - Getting a massage is another simple strategy I recommend to help ease not only your back pain (and other types of pain), but anxiety as well. Massage releases endorphins that help induce relaxation, relieve pain, and reduce levels of stress chemicals, such as cortisol and noradrenaline. It also reverses the damaging effects of stress by slowing your heart rate, respiration, and metabolism and lowering raised blood pressure. 5) Other Strategies to Eliminate Chronic Back Pain - In addition to the tips above, I also recommend these simple and natural ways to prevent and relieve back pain: • Get sufficient high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fats are precursors to mediators of inflammation called prostaglandins. • Reduce your intake of grains and sugars, especially fructose. Excessive intake of grains and sugars will elevate your insulin and leptin levels primarily through causing your body to be resistant to them, resulting in the increase of inflammatory prostaglandin production. • Optimize your vitamin D through regular and appropriate sun exposure. These nutrients will help prevent the softening of your bones that can often lead to lower back pain. I strongly advise you to try these simple but successful back pain relief alternatives, especially Chiropractic care. Not only will they treat the underlying causes of back pain, but they can also spare you from additional harm, unlike potentially dangerous prescription or over-the-counter drugs. Source: mercola, 4/29/15.

15 Healthiest Foods of All Time

In a survey of at-home spending patterns on food among US households, the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture revealed Americans are throwing a lot of their food budgets toward very unhealthy foods. The average US household spent most of their food budget (18 percent) on refined grains followed by sugar and candies (14 percent). The next highest category was red meat, followed by frozen or refrigerated entrees and beverages. In stark contrast, Americans spent less than 0.5 percent of their food budget on dark green vegetables and on orange vegetables. Other vegetables made up less than 4 percent of at-home food spending and whole fruits just over 6 percent. I believe it is partly a matter of making good choices and partly a matter of getting educated about which foods are truly healthy. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to break the bank to eat good food. In fact, many of the healthiest foods that follow are quite economical. Even better, because there are so many healthy foods, you can plan your meals around what's in season… and what's on sale. In order to protect your health, I advise spending 90 percent of your food budget on whole foods, and only 10 percent on processed foods. Choosing from the list below is a very good start to feeding your family right. 1. Avocado - Avocados, which are actually classified as a fruit, are low in fructose and rich in healthy monounsaturated fat and potassium, and research has confirmed the avocado's ability to benefit vascular function and heart health. Avocados are also very high in potassium (more than twice the amount found in a banana) and will help balance your vitally important potassium-to-sodium ratio. Avocados also provide close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including fiber, vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid. Besides eating them raw, you can use avocado as a fat substitute in recipes calling for butter or other oils. Another boon of avocados—they're one of the safest fruits you can buy conventionally grown, so you don't need to spend more for organic ones. Their thick skin protects the inner fruit from pesticides. 2. Swiss Chard - Swiss chard belongs to the chenopod food family, along with beets and spinach. It's an excellent source of vitamins C, E, and A (in the form of beta-carotene) along with the minerals manganese and zinc. When you eat Swiss chard, you get a wealth of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. As reported by the George Mateljan Foundation: "The range of phytonutrients in chard is even more extensive than researchers initially suspected, and at this point in time, about three dozen antioxidant phytonutrients have been identified in chard, including betalains (both betacyanins and betaxanthins) and epoxyxanthophylls. Many of these antioxidant phytonutrients provide chard with its colorful stems, stalks, and leaf veins." The betalin pigments in Swiss chard (which are also found in beets) support your body's detoxification process, which is when broken down toxins are bound to other molecules so they can be excreted from your body. Swiss chard also contains an important mix of nutrients, including high amounts of both magnesium and vitamin K1, to support your bone health. In addition, Swiss chard contains a flavonoid called syringic acid, which may help regulate blood sugar and provide benefits to those with diabetes, along with kaempferol, a flavonol that may help fight cancer and lower your risk of chronic diseases including heart disease. 3. Garlic - Garlic is rich in manganese, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, and vitamins B6 and C, so it's beneficial for your bones as well as your thyroid. It's thought that much of garlic's therapeutic effect comes from its sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin, which are also what give it its characteristic smell. Other health-promoting compounds include oligosaccharides, arginine-rich proteins, selenium, and flavonoids. There is research demonstrating garlic's effects for more than 160 different diseases. In general, its benefits fall into four main categories: • Reducing inflammation (reduces the risk of osteoarthritis and other disease associated with inflammation • Boosting immune function (antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic properties) • Improving cardiovascular health and circulation (protects against clotting, retards plaque, improves lipids, and reduces blood pressure) • Toxic to 14 kinds of cancer cells (including brain, lung, breast, gastric, and pancreatic) In addition, garlic may be effective against drug-resistant bacteria, and research has revealed that as allicin digests in your body, it produces sulfenic acid, a compound that reacts with dangerous free radicals faster than any other known compound. 4. Sprouts - Sprouts may offer some of the highest levels of nutrition available, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes that help protect against free radical damage. Fresh broccoli sprouts, for instance, are far more potent than whole broccoli, allowing you to eat far less in terms of quantity. For example, research has revealed that three-day old broccoli sprouts consistently contain anywhere from 10-100 times the amount of glucoraphanin—a chemoprotective compound—found in mature broccoli. The compound glucoraphanin also appears to have a protective effect against toxic pollutants by improving your body's ability to eliminate or excrete them. Glucoraphanin has also been shown to protect against cancer. 5. Mushrooms - Aside from being rich in protein, fiber, vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, and minerals, mushrooms are excellent sources of antioxidants. They contain polyphenols and selenium, which are common in the plant world, as well as antioxidants that are unique to mushrooms. One such antioxidant is ergothioneine, which scientists are now beginning to recognize as a "master antioxidant." A study in the journal Nature discussed the importance of ergothioneine, which is fairly exclusive to mushrooms, describing it as "an unusual sulfur-containing derivative of the amino acid, histidine," which appears to have a very specific role in protecting your DNA from oxidative damage. In addition, some of the most potent immunosupportive agents come from mushrooms, and this is one reason why they're so beneficial for both preventing and treating cancer. Long-chain polysaccharides, particularly alpha and beta glucan molecules, are primarily responsible for the mushrooms' beneficial effect on your immune system. In one study, adding one or two servings of dried shiitake mushrooms was found to have a beneficial, modulating effect on immune system function. 6. Kale - Just one cup of kale will flood your body with disease-fighting vitamins K, A, and C, along with respectable amounts of manganese, copper, B vitamins, fiber, calcium, and potassium. With each serving of kale, you'll also find more than 45 unique flavonoids, which have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Kale is also a good source of cancer-fighting sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol. To date, kale has been found to lower the risk of at least five types of cancer, including bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. The glucosinolates in kale and other cruciferous vegetables break down into products that help protect DNA from damage. While some research suggests raw kale is best for cancer prevention, other studies suggest lightly cooked is best, in part because it improves kale's ability to bind with bile acids in your digestive tract. This makes the bile acids easier for your body to excrete, which not only has a beneficial impact on your cholesterol levels, but also on your risk of cancer (bile acids have been associated with an increased risk of cancer). 7. Spinach - Spinach is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, including folate, vitamin A, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, and selenium. Spinach also contains flavonoids that may help protect your body from free radicals, while offering anti-inflammatory benefits and antioxidant support. As reported by the George Mateljan Foundation: "While this mixture of conventional nutrients gives spinach a unique status in the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory department, it is the unusual mixture of phytonutrients in spinach that "seals the deal" in terms of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components. In terms of flavonoids, spinach is a unique source of methylenedioxyflavonol glucuronides, and in terms of carotenoids, its difficult to find a more helpful source of lutein and zeaxanthin. The epoxyxanthophyll carotenoids neoxanthin and violaxanthin are also welcomed constituents of spinach leaves." 8. Collard Greens - Collard greens are a close cousin to kale and nutritionally, very similar. Rich in vitamin K and phytonutrients – caffeic acid, ferulic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol – collard greens help lower oxidative stress in your cells while fighting inflammation. Collard greens contain glucosinolates called glucobrassicin that can convert into an isothiocyanate molecule called indole-3-carbinol, or I3C, a compound with the ability to activate and prevent an inflammatory response at its earliest stage. Other phytonutrients in collard greens, specifically diindolylmethane and sulforaphane, have been clinically proven to combat breast, prostate, ovarian, cervical, and colon cancer cells, help prevent their growth and even help prevent them from forming in the first place. Also noteworthy, collard greens are especially high in fiber, with more than 7 grams per cup, making it ideal for digestive support. They're also particularly useful for maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. According to the George Mateljan Foundation: "In a recent study, steamed collard greens outshined steamed kale, mustard greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage in terms of its ability to bind bile acids in the digestive tract. When this bile acid binding takes place, it is easier for the bile acids to be excreted from the body. Since bile acids are made from cholesterol, the net impact of this bile acid binding is a lowering of the body's cholesterol level. It's worth noting that steamed collards show much greater bile acid binding ability than raw collards." For the best collard greens flavor and texture, choose slightly smaller leaves than the toughest outer layer. 9. Tomatoes - Tomatoes—especially organic tomatoes—are packed with nutrition, including a variety of phytochemicals that boast a long list of health benefits. Tomatoes are an excellent source of lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin C (which is most concentrated in the jelly-like substance that surrounds the seeds), as well as vitamins A, E, and the B vitamins, potassium, manganese, and phosphorus. Some lesser-known phytonutrients in tomatoes include: • Flavonols: rutin, kaempferol, and quercetin • Flavonones: naringenin and chalconaringenin • Hydroxycinnamic acids: caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and coumaric acid • Glycosides: esculeoside A • Fatty acid derivatives: 9-oxo-octadecadienoic acid Tomatoes are also a particularly concentrated source of lycopene — a carotenoid antioxidant that gives fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and watermelon a pink or red color. Lycopene's antioxidant activity has long been suggested to be more powerful than other carotenoids such as beta-carotene, and research suggests it may significantly lower your risk for stroke and cancer. In addition, lycopene from tomatoes (including unsweetened organic tomato sauce) has also been deemed helpful in treating prostate cancer. Interestingly, when cooked, the bioavailability of lycopene increases rather than decreases, making cooked tomatoes, such as in tomato sauce, a particularly healthy option. 10. Cauliflower - One serving of cauliflower contains 77 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C. It's also a good source of vitamin K, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese. Cauliflower is a good source of choline, a B vitamin known for its role in brain development, and contains a wealth of anti-inflammatory nutrients to help keep inflammation in check, including I3C, which may operate at the genetic level to help prevent the inflammatory responses at its foundational level. Compounds in cauliflower also show anti-cancer effects. According to the National Cancer Institute: "Indoles and isothiocyanates have been found to inhibit the development of cancer in several organs in rats and mice, including the bladder, breast, colon, liver, lung, and stomach." Cauliflower also helps your body's ability to detoxify in multiple ways. It contains antioxidants that support Phase 1 detoxification along with sulfur-containing nutrients important for Phase 2 detox activities. The glucosinolates in cauliflower also activate detoxification enzymes. It's a rich source of fiber, as well, and has significant digestive benefits. Adding to cauliflower's appeal is its extreme versatility. You can eat it raw, add it to salads, or use it in your cooking. Cauliflower can even be seasoned and mashed for a healthier version of mashed "potatoes." According to the George Mateljan Foundation: "Researchers have determined that the sulforaphane made from a glucosinolate in cauliflower (glucoraphanin) can help protect the lining of your stomach. Sulforaphane provides you with this health benefit by preventing bacterial overgrowth of Helicobacter pylori in your stomach or too much clinging by this bacterium to your stomach wall." 11. Onions - To date, onions have shown a wealth of beneficial properties; they're anti-allergic, anti-histaminic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, all rolled into one. Polyphenols are plant compounds recognized for their disease prevention, antioxidant and anti-aging properties. Onions have a particularly high concentration, with more polyphenols than garlic, leeks, tomatoes, carrots and red bell pepper. In particular, onions are especially rich in polyphenol flavonoids called quercetin. Quercetin is an antioxidant that many believe prevent histamine release—making quercetin-rich foods "natural antihistamines." Onions contain numerous anti-cancer compounds, including quercetin, which has been shown to decrease cancer tumor initiation as well as inhibit the proliferation of cultured ovarian, breast and colon cancer cells. People who eat more onions, as well as other allium vegetables, have a lower risk of many types of cancer, including: • Prostate and breast • Ovarian and endometrial • Colorectal and gastric • Esophageal and laryngeal • Renal cell 12. Wild-Caught Alaskan Salmon - Salmon provides omega-3 fats eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which can benefit many aspects of your health, from your cardiovascular system to mental and behavioral health to your digestive health. It may even help prevent premature death. Research suggests that eating oily fish like wild-caught Alaskan salmon once or twice a week may increase your lifespan by more than two years, and reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 35 percent. Salmon also contains the antioxidant astaxanthin, which has been hailed as one of the most powerful antioxidants ever discovered due to its ability to quench multiple types of free radicals simultaneously. Findings have shown that it is stronger than other carotenoid antioxidants, such as vitamin E, beta-carotene, and lycopene. Astaxanthin also exhibits beneficial properties that make it useful for heart, eye, and brain health, as well as for alleviating chronic pain. The key to eating fish these days is to choose fish that are high in healthy omega-3 fats, and low in hazardous contaminants. 13. Organic Pastured Eggs - Proteins are essential to the building, maintenance, and repair of your body tissues, including your skin, internal organs, and muscles. Proteins are also major components of your immune system and hormones. While proteins are found in many types of food, only foods from animal sources, such as meat and eggs, contain "complete proteins," meaning they contain all of the essential amino acids. Eggs also contain lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health, choline for your brain, nervous and cardiovascular systems, and naturally occurring B12. Eggs are powerhouses of healthy nutrition, provided they're harvested from organically raised, free-range, pastured chickens. The nutritional differences between true free-ranging chicken eggs and commercially farmed eggs are a result of the different diets eaten by the two groups of chickens. You can tell the eggs are free range or pastured by the color of the egg yolk. Foraged hens produce eggs with bright orange yolks. Dull, pale yellow yolks are a sure sign you're getting eggs from caged hens that are not allowed to forage for their natural diet. Your best source for fresh eggs is a local farmer that allows his hens to forage freely outdoors. 14. Organic Coconut Oil - Besides being excellent for your thyroid and your metabolism, coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which converts in your body to monolaurin, a monoglyceride capable of destroying lipid-coated viruses such as HIV and herpes, influenza, measles, gram-negative bacteria, and protozoa such as Giardia lamblia. Its medium chain fatty acids (MCTs) also impart a number of health benefits, including raising your body's metabolism and fighting off pathogens. Additionally, a very exciting and recent discovery is that coconut oil may serve as a natural treatment for Alzheimer's disease, as MCTs are also a primary source of ketone bodies, which act as an alternate source of brain fuel that can help prevent the brain atrophy associated with dementia. Coconut oil is easy on your digestive system and does not produce an insulin spike in your bloodstream, so for a quick energy boost, you could simply eat a spoonful of coconut oil or add it to your food. Make sure you choose an organic coconut oil that is unrefined, unbleached, made without heat processing or chemicals, and does not contain genetically engineered ingredients. As an added boon, coconut oil has countless other uses besides cooking and eating -- from topical beauty applications to first aid treatments, to general household cleaning. 15. Nuts - Mounting research suggests that nuts may help you live longer and even support weight loss. This isn't so surprising considering the fact that tree nuts are high in healthy fats that, contrary to popular belief, your body needs for optimal function. My favorite nuts are macadamia and pecans, as they provide the highest amount of healthy fat while being on the lower end in terms of carbs and protein. The main fatty acid in macadamia nuts is the monounsaturated fat oleic acid (about 60 percent). This is about the level found in olives, which are well known for their health benefits. And a Bonus: Bone Broth Bone broth contains a variety of valuable nutrients, including calcium, collagen, and bone marrow, in a form your body can easily absorb and use. Homemade bone broth may help reduce joint pain and inflammation, promote strong bones, and boost hair and nail growth. Most people are not aware of the wealth of nutrients available in healthful foods, particularly organic fruits and vegetables. By getting to know your food, you can make informed decisions about how to eat healthier and thereby boost your brain function, lower your risk of chronic disease, lose weight, and much more. Remember, knowing what's in your food is the first step to choosing and preparing nutritious meals each and every day. Source: mercola.com, 4/13/15.

Your Appendix is Useful After All

Your appendix is a slimy sac that hangs between your small and large intestines. It has long been thought of as a worthless evolutionary artifact, good for nothing except a potentially lethal case of inflammation. But now researchers suggest that your appendix is a lot more than a useless remnant. Not only was it recently proposed to actually possess a critical function, it's possible some of this organ's ancient uses could be recruited by physicians to help the human body fight disease more effectively. Your appendix may serve as a vital safehouse where good bacteria can lie in wait until they are needed to repopulate the gut after a case of diarrhea. Past studies have also found the appendix can help make, direct and train white blood cells. Appendicitis, or an infected appendix, can be fatal. According to the CDC, over 320,000 people are hospitalized each year, and up to 400 Americans die due to appendicitis. As common sense dictates, there is a purpose for every organ in your body, even the ones that modern medicine can’t figure out, and your appendix is one of them. How Does Your Appendix Promote Health? A previous study published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology found that your appendix serves as a “backup factory” for beneficial commensal bacteria, the symbiotic germs that aid digestion and help protect your body against disease-causing germs. If the good bacteria in your colon dies, which could happen as a result of cholera or dysentery for instance, it appears your appendix steps up to help recolonize your gut with good bacteria. Modern society has become so hypervigilant against bacteria that many forget a very important point -- The bacteria in your body actually outnumber your cells by about ten to one, and without them you would die. The friendly bacteria that reside in your gut have a number of very important functions, such as: • Digesting and absorbing certain carbohydrates. - Without good gut bacteria, your body cannot absorb certain undigested starches, fiber, and sugars. The friendly bacteria in your digestive tract convert these carbohydrates into primary sources of important energy and nutrients. • Producing vitamins, absorbing minerals and eliminating toxins. - Probiotics help in the production of both vitamin K and B vitamins, and promote mineral absorption. They also aid in metabolism and the breakdown of toxins. • Keeping bad bacteria under control. - A large part of the influence of the "bad" bacteria is on your intestinal lining. Simply stated, friendly bacteria compete with the bad guys for room and board, but since beneficial bacteria are more at home there, they win most of the battles for nutrition and attachment sites within your colon. The good bacteria tell your body how much nutrition they need and your body responds by supplying just that much and no more - so that any excess bad bacteria are starved out. The helpful bacteria also produce a substance that kills harmful microbes. • Preventing allergies. - Friendly bacteria train your immune system to distinguish between pathogens and non-harmful antigens, and to respond appropriately. This important function prevents your immune system from overreacting to non-harmful antigens, which is the genesis of allergies. • Providing vital support to your immune system. - Beneficial play a crucial role in the development and operation of the mucosal immune system in your digestive tract. They also aid in the production of antibodies to pathogens. It’s also important to remember that 80 percent of your immune system is located in your digestive system, making a healthy gut a major focal point if you want to maintain optimal health. A robust immune system is your number one defense system against disease. Modern Lifestyle Does Not Negate the Need for Your Appendix Researchers have speculated that despite the beneficial influence of the appendix, most people living in the modern world don’t need it because you can easily repopulate the good bacteria in your gut. I do not agree with this assessment because your good bacteria is constantly being assaulted by antibiotics, chlorinated water, birth control pills, stress, sugar, and a host of other environmental factors. Gastrointestinal problems are in fact a very common concern for a majority of Americans. Ideally, your gut should contain a ratio of 85 percent good bacteria to 15 percent non-beneficial bacteria. It’s also worth keeping in mind that this is still just the beginning as far as what scientists know about the appendix. It may turn out to have other far-reaching but subtle effects on your body function than what is currently known. After all, scientists have now discovered that more than 70 percent of all primate and rodent groups contain certain species with an appendix. If its purpose was so inconsequential, why would so many different species have it? So far, at least one negative side effect of having your appendix removed (called an appendectomy) has been uncovered -- an increased risk of Crohn’s disease. So please, don’t fall for the advice to have your appendix removed simply because “it has no purpose.” When Should You Agree to Have Your Appendix Removed? Naturally, there are times when an appendectomy is warranted. If your appendix becomes infected or inflamed, failing to remove it could be fatal. Just don’t agree to have your appendix removed for no other reason than you’re having an unrelated abdominal surgery performed, which happens more frequently than you might think. Major warning signs that your appendix might be a problem include: • You have absolutely no appetite, even for your most favorite foods. • You have pain that started around your belly button and has moved to your lower right abdominal area. • You have pain when jumping up and down. First, jump up and down gently. If there is no pain, try jumping higher. This will move your peritoneal cavity and if it is irritated with an inflamed appendix, the movement will cause considerable pain. If you have all of the above symptoms you should be evaluated at your nearest emergency room. Source: mercola.com, 3/30/15.

5 Reasons to Spend More Time Outside

Research shows that the average American spends 87 percent of their time in enclosed buildings and 6 percent of their time in enclosed vehicles. That’s a total of 93 percent of your life spent inside. There are a number of reasons why this is unhealthy -- for body, mind, and spirit. For starters, levels of many pollutants concentrate indoors, where levels are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations. Simply opening your windows to let more fresh air in is actually one of the easiest and most effective ways to help purify your indoor living spaces and decrease your exposure to disease-causing pollutants, mold, and more. This is a sound strategy to do regularly, even in the winter. Ideally, open two windows on opposite sides of the house for cross ventilation. Keep them open for about ten minutes, as that will exchange most of the air. Of course, do it in the warmest part of the day if it is winter. Alternatively, you can get more fresh air just by spending more time outdoors – and there are many benefits you’ll receive by doing this, above and beyond the fresh air. The benefits are so great that you should strive to get outdoors virtually every day – even if it’s winter and the temperatures are low. 5 Reasons to Get Outdoors Thinking of hibernating until spring comes? Resist the urge and get outside instead. TIME recently featured 5 great reasons to do so if you’re looking for a bit of extra motivation. 1. Boost Your Creativity and Focus - If you’re trying to solve a problem or come up with a brilliant idea, take a walk outside. One study found walking increased 81 percent of participants’ creativity, but walking outside produced “the most novel and highest quality analogies.” Among children with ADHD, spending time in nature leads to improvements in focus and higher scores on concentration tests. Richard Louv, in his book Last Child in the Woods, even used the term “nature-deficit disorder” to describe behavioral problems he believes stem from spending less time outdoors. 2. Improve Your Mood and Self-Esteem - “Green exercise,” which is exercise in the presence of nature, has unique benefits above and beyond indoor exercise. One meta-analysis of 10 studies found that physical activity outdoors for as little as five minutes leads to measurable improvements in mood and self-esteem. While every “green environment” studied led to these improvements, exercise near water generated the greatest effects. Spending time outdoors is also a recommended treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is sometimes called “winter depression.” Outdoor light exposure may help your mood even if it’s cold and cloudy. 3. Increase Your Vitamin D Levels - It's estimated that over 95 percent of US senior citizens may be deficient in vitamin D, along with 85 percent of the American public. Researchers have noted that vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in adults of all ages who have increased skin pigmentation (such as those whose ancestors are from Africa, the Middle East, or India), or who always wear sun protection or limit their outdoor activities. Increasing your vitamin D levels is important, as researchers have pointed out that increasing levels of vitamin D3 among the general population could prevent chronic diseases that claim nearly one million lives throughout the world each year. Incidence of several types of cancer could also be slashed in half. Vitamin D also fights infections, including colds and the flu, as it regulates the expression of genes that influence your immune system to attack and destroy bacteria and viruses. I firmly believe that appropriate sun exposure is the best way to optimize your vitamin D levels, and the more time you spend outdoors, the easier it will be for you to naturally keep your vitamin D levels in the therapeutic range of 50-70 ng/ml. 4. Improve Your Workouts - As mentioned, exercising outdoors yields increased benefits over indoor exercise. In addition to boosting your mood, outdoor exercise can be more challenging, leading to greater physical gains. For instance, if you walk, jog, or cycle outdoors, you’ll have to expend more energy to overcome wind and changes in terrain. Among older adults (a population that generally tends to spend very little time outdoors), those who exercise outdoors accumulated significantly more physical activity than those who exercised indoors. There’s even research showing levels of the stress hormone cortisol are lower when people exercise outdoors as opposed to indoors. 5. Healing Potential - There’s something inherently healing about spending time outdoors. Part of it has to do with exposure to natural light. One study found people exposed to 46 percent more sunlight after surgery used 22 percent less pain medication per hour. However, there are likely benefits even beyond the light exposure. Research shows that older adults who spend more time outdoors have less pain, sleep better and have less functional decline in their ability to carry out their daily activities. Kids Would Rather Do Chores Than Play Outside! In the 1970s and ‘80s, kids spent more than two hours outdoors on weekdays and nine hours on weekends, no matter what the weather. In contrast, a 2013 study found children spend just over one hour outdoors on weekdays and about 4.5 hours outside on Saturdays and Sundays. This was about half of the time the children’s parents noted playing outdoors when they were kids, which may be why 44 percent of the parents said they wished their children would play outside more often. The children, in turn, had a long list of activities they said they would rather do than play outside. This included watch TV, play computer games, play with other games and toys, read books, surf the Web… and even do their homework or chores. We’re now seeing record rates of childhood obesity, along with increasing rates of type 2 diabetes, asthma, vitamin D deficiency, and ADHD – all of which may be tied to children spending less time in nature engaged in outdoor activity. In fact, a shift toward a sedentary lifestyle and away from active outdoor play has been described as a “major contributor to the decline in children’s health.” Grounding: Another Benefit of Spending Time Outdoors The next time you go outdoors, take off your shoes and spend some time walking barefoot in the grass, sand, or mud. The Earth carries an enormous negative charge. It's always electron-rich and can serve as a powerful and abundant supply of antioxidant and free-radical-busting electrons. Your body is finely tuned to "work" with the Earth in the sense that there's a constant flow of energy between your body and the Earth. When you put your bare feet on the ground, you absorb large amounts of negative electrons through the soles of your feet. The effect is sufficient to maintain your body at the same negatively charged electrical potential as the Earth. This simple process is called "grounding" or "earthing," and its effect is one of the most potent antioxidants we know of. Grounding has been shown to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, improve sleep, enhance wellbeing, and much, much more. When you wear rubber or plastic-soled shoes, however, you are effectively shielding yourself from this beneficial influx of electrons from the Earth. Simply by getting barefoot, touching the Earth, and allowing the excess charge in your body to discharge, you can alleviate some of the stress continually put on your system from the constant assault of electromagnetic fields and other types of radiation from cell phones, computers, and Wi-Fi. Furthermore, grounding also calms your sympathetic nervous system, which supports your heart rate variability. And, this promotes homeostasis, or balance, in your autonomic nervous system. This is important because anytime you improve your heart rate variability, you're improving your entire body and all its functions. Tips for Spending Time Outdoors Even in Cold Temperatures It’s easy to schedule a weekend hike or occasional outdoor outing, but to get the most benefits you should strive for time outdoors each and every day, even if it’s only for five minutes. To make this happen, outdoor time needs to become a normal part of your (and your child’s) routine. And don’t let bad weather stop you (within reason, of course). Some of the best times to head outdoors are during a light drizzle, after a big snow, or on a muddy spring day. Parks and trails will be less crowded and you can immerse your senses to explore nature in all of its seasons. When Is It Too Cold to Go Outside? This is really a personal decision… but once the thermometer dips down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6.6 degrees Celsius) or so, you'll want to use extreme caution and make sure to protect your skin from exposure if you choose to go outdoors, as such subfreezing temperatures dramatically increase your chances of developing frost bite. Your cheeks, nose and ears are the most vulnerable, but your hands and feet are also easily affected. Dressing appropriately and paying attention to the following safeguards can help keep you safe and warm when spending time outdoors this winter: • Dress in three or more layers: 1. Use a lightweight synthetic material to wick moisture away from your skin. Avoid heavy cotton materials as these absorb sweat, trapping wetness close to your body. 2. Add another layer or two of wool or fleece for insulating warmth. 3. Top it off with a lightweight, water-repellant, and wind-resistant material. • Wear a hat, as you lose about 50 percent of your body heat from your uncovered head. • Wear gloves to protect your fingers from frostbite. Layering thin gloves with heavier mittens is a good idea so you can remove a layer if needed without exposing your bare skin to the frigid air. • Cover your face with mask or scarf when the temperature is below freezing to avoid frostbite. This can also help warm the air a bit before entering your lungs. • Wear sturdy footwear with good traction to prevent slips and falls on snow or ice. • Check the forecast. Health risks increase when the temperature and wind chill falls below -20°F. • Wear light and/or reflective clothing, as it gets darker sooner during the winter months. You want to make sure drivers can see you. • Drink plenty of fluids. Staying properly hydrated is just as important during cold weather as during hot weather. If you’re exercising, drink before, during, and after your workout, even if you don't feel very thirsty, as dehydration may be more difficult to notice during cold weather exertion. • Tell someone where you’re going and when to expect your return, just in case something goes wrong. If you slip and fall in the winter, hypothermia can get the better of you if no one knows to go looking for you While staying warm is important, a common mistake people make is actually dressing too warmly when exercising in cold weather. Remember that exercise will generate body heat and sweating, even though it's cold outside. And once your sweat starts to accumulate in your clothes, it can have a significantly chilling impact. If it's really cold outside, it may even end up freezing close to your skin, which can lower your body temperature and increase your risk of hypothermia. Staying DRY is equally important as being warm—hence the importance of putting on a wicking layer closest to your skin, and dressing in layers so you can remove a layer or two if you're sweating profusely. Just remember to put those layers back on once you begin to cool down. As a general suggestion, I'd recommend taking a break from outdoor activities if the temperature dips well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-17.8 C), or if the wind chill factor is high. Source: mercola.com, 3/10/15.

Flawed Cholesterol Recommendations May Be Reversed

For the past half century, cholesterol has been touted as a grave health hazard, and dietary fat and cholesterol have been portrayed as being among the “deadliest” foods you could possibly eat. This may finally change, as limitations for cholesterol will likely be removed from the 2015 edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It’s about time really, as 60 years’ worth of research has utterly failed to demonstrate a correlation between high cholesterol and heart disease. Not only does undamaged natural cholesterol not cause heart disease, it is actually one of the most important molecules in your body; indispensable for the building of cells and for producing stress and sex hormones, as well as vitamin D. Cholesterol is also important for brain health, and helps with the formation of your memories. Low levels of HDL cholesterol have been linked to memory loss and Alzheimer's disease, and may also increase your risk of depression, stroke, violent behavior, and even suicide. New American Dietary Guidelines May Remove Limits on Cholesterol A draft of the 2015 edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, created by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, now states that “cholesterol is not considered a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.” And, according to a recent report in the Washington Post, an insider claims the new stance on cholesterol will remain in the final report. As noted by medical journalist Larry Husten: “The proposed change reflects a major shift in the scientific view of cholesterol that has taken place in recent years. Although serum cholesterol is still considered an important risk factor, cholesterol consumed in food is now thought to play a relatively insignificant role in determining blood levels of cholesterol.” However, if you process saturated fat or cholesterol and heat it by frying, then you create very dangerous products that will clearly increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. So this new information does not give you free license to eat any type of cholesterol. Remember, trans fats are worse than sugar for your health. Guidelines on Fat and Cholesterol Should Never Have Been Made Steve Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, told USA Today: “It’s the right decision. We got the dietary guidelines wrong. They’ve been wrong for decades.” This message was echoed in Time Magazine, which recently reported that: “[I]n the latest reviewof studies that investigated the link between dietary fat and causes of death, researchers say the guidelines got it all wrong. In fact, recommendations to reduce the amount of fat we eat every day should never have been made.” Low-fat diets saw a real upswing in 1977, but according to research published in the Open Heart journal, led by Zoe Harcombe, PhD, there was no scientific basis for the recommendations to cut fat from our diet in the first place. What’s worse, the processed food industry replaced fat with large amounts of sugar, While Dr. Harcombe shies away from making any recommendation about how much dietary fat might be ideal, she suggests that the take-home message here is to simply “eat real food.” I have to say, it’s refreshing to finally see that message being repeated in the mainstream media. As reported by Time Magazine: “The less adulterated and processed your diet is, the more nutrients and healthy fats, proteins and carbohydrates your body will get, and the less you’ll have to worry about meeting specific guidelines or advice that may or may not be based on a solid body of evidence.” Processed Fructose Affects Your Body Like Alcohol The low-fat craze led to an avalanche of new processed food products, promising to benefit both your waistline and your heart. Alas, nothing could have been further from the truth. When fat was removed, sugar was added in, and this has led to a massive increase in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. As it turns out, your body metabolizes fructose in the same way it metabolizes ethanol, creating the same toxic effects. Unlike glucose, which can be used by virtually every cell in your body, fructose can only be metabolized by your liver, because your liver is the only organ that has the transporter for it. Since nearly all fructose gets shuttled to your liver, and, if you eat a typical Western-style diet, you consume high amounts of it, fructose ends up taxing and damaging your liver in the same way alcohol and other toxins do. In fact, when you compare the health outcomes of fructose versus alcohol consumption, the diseases they cause are virtually identical: Hypertension, Cardiomyopathy, Dyslipidemia, Pancreatitis, Obesity, Hepatic dysfunction, Fetal alcohol syndrome and Habituation, if not addiction. Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease Has Become a Serious Public Health Concern Dr. Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, has been a pioneer in decoding sugar metabolism and sounding the alarm on processed fructose in particular. In one of his papers, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2010, Dr. Lustig describes three similarities between fructose and ethanol (alcohol): 1. Your liver's metabolism of fructose is similar to alcohol as they both serve as substrates for converting dietary carbohydrate into fat, which promotes insulin resistance, dyslipidemia (abnormal fat levels in the bloodstream), and fatty liver. 2. Fructose undergoes the Maillard reaction with proteins, leading to the formation of superoxide free radicals that can result in liver inflammation similar to acetaldehyde, an intermediary metabolite of ethanol. 3. By "stimulating the 'hedonic pathway' of the brain both directly and indirectly," Dr. Lustig noted, "fructose creates habituation, and possibly dependence; also paralleling ethanol". As recently reported in Scientific American, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) now affects an estimated 25 percent of Americans, including an estimated 20 percent of children, who have never had a drop of alcohol. Cases of NAFLD have even been reported in children as young as three years old. This may sound like an impossibility. But did you know that most infant formulas contain the sugar equivalent of a can of Coca-Cola? Ditto for many baby foods, which can contain as much sugar and harmful trans fats as chocolate cookies or cheeseburgers. Babies are methodically “poisoned” with exorbitant amounts of refined sugar and processed fructose from day one, so it’s really no wonder that so many of our youngsters struggle with weight issues and associated diseases. As explained in Scientific American: “NAFLD describes the accumulation of fat in hepatocytes, or liver cells, in excessive amounts. These fats are typically triglycerides, which the body naturally stores and creates from calories that it doesn’t need right away. Normally these fats are burned off for energy, but if the body is overwhelmed with calories and a lack of exercise, then the triglycerides are simply never released. They instead accumulate in the liver and cause NAFLD, which can lead to inflammation, scarring, liver dysfunction and even liver cancer.” Wrong Dietary Guidelines Has Led to Flawed Medical Interventions, Too Since the cholesterol hypothesis is false, this also means that the recommended therapies—low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, and cholesterol lowering medications—are doing more harm than good. Statin treatment, for example, is largely harmful, costly, and has transformed millions of people into patients whose health is being adversely impacted by the drug. We now know a whole lot more about HDL and LDL, commonly referred to as “good” and “bad” cholesterol respectively, although that is also a bit of a fallacy. Depending on the size of the particles, LDL may be either harmful or harmless, so LDL is not necessarily “bad” across the board. If you’ve had your cholesterol levels checked, your doctor most likely tested your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. But we now know those are not accurate predictors for cardiovascular disease risk. A far more accurate predictor is your LDL particle number, the test for which is called an NMR Lipoprofile. It’s easy to get and all major labs offer it, including LabCorp and Quest. Most insurance policies cover the test as well. Best of all, even if your doctor were to refuse to order it, you can order it yourself via third-party intermediaries like Direct Labs, or you can order the test online, and get blood drawn locally. Also: 1. Check your HDL to total cholesterol ratio. HDL percentage is a potent heart disease risk factor. Just divide your HDL level by your cholesterol. This ratio should ideally be above 24 percent. 2. Boost your HDL cholesterol and lower your triglyceride levels. High triglycerides are a very potent risk factor for heart disease. In combination, high triglycerides and low HDL levels are an even bigger risk; this ratio is far more important to your heart health than the standard good vs. bad cholesterol ratio. In fact, one study found that people with the highest ratio of triglycerides to HDL had 16 times the risk of heart attack as those with the lowest ratio of triglycerides to HDL. You calculate your triglyceride/HDL cholesterol ratio by dividing your triglyceride level by your HDL level. This ratio should ideally be below 2. So while you strive to keep your HDL cholesterol levels up, you'll want to decrease your triglycerides. You’ll find strategies for increasing your HDL level below. Triglycerides are easily decreased by exercising and avoiding grains and sugars in your diet. Statins Are Based on a Flawed Premise Part of the reason why cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins are ineffective for heart disease prevention (besides the fact that the drug causes heart disease as a side effect) is that drugs cannot address the real cause of heart disease, which is insulin and leptin resistance, which in turn increase your LDL particle number via a number of different mechanisms. While some genetic predisposition can play a role, insulin and leptin resistance is primarily caused by a combination of factors that are epidemic in our modern lifestyle: • A diet high in processed and refined carbohydrates, sugars/fructose, refined flours, and seed oils. • Insufficient everyday physical activity. Chronic sitting is also an independent risk factor that causes biochemical changes that predispose you to insulin and leptin resistance, even if you’re very fit and exercise regularly. • Chronic sleep deprivation can decrease your insulin sensitivity the next day and cause cravings. • Environmental toxins. Exposure can disrupt weight regulation. • Poor gut health. Studies indicate that imbalances in your gut flora (the bacteria that live in our gut) can predispose you to obesity and insulin and leptin resistance, and processed foods high in sugar effectively feed harmful bacteria, allowing them to take over. For Heart Health, Focus on Boosting Your HDL A healthy diet is foundational for optimal health, and step number one is to ignore the advice to eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. Other strategies that will help reduce your risk of heart disease include the following: Replace processed foods loaded with refined sugar and carbs, processed fructose, and trans fat—all of which promote heart disease with whole, minimally processed foods, ideally organic and/or locally grown. Avoid meats and other animal products such as dairy and eggs sourced from animals raised in confined animal feeding operations. Instead, opt for grass-fed, pastured varieties, raised according to organic standards. Eliminate no-fat and low-fat foods, and increase consumption of healthy fats. Half of the population suffers with insulin resistance and would benefit from consuming 50-85 percent of their daily calories from healthy saturated fats, such as avocados, butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk, raw dairy, organic pastured egg yolks, coconuts and coconut oil, unheated organic nut oils, raw nuts, and grass-fed meats. No- or low-fat foods are usually processed foods that are high in sugar, which raises your small, dense LDL particles. Balancing your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio is also key for heart health, as these fatty acids help build the cells in your arteries that make the prostacyclin that keeps your blood flowing smoothly. Omega-3 deficiency can cause or contribute to very serious health problems, both mental and physical, and may be a significant underlying factor of up to 96,000 premature deaths each year. You also need the appropriate ratios of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, and all of these are generally abundant in a whole food diet. Get more fresh vegetables into your diet. Optimize your vitamin D level. Some researchers, like Dr. Stephanie Seneff, believe optimizing your vitamin D level through regular sun exposure, opposed to taking an oral supplement, may be key to optimizing your heart health. If you do opt for a supplement, you also increase your need for vitamin K2. Meanwhile, Dr. Robert Heaney recently highlighted research showing that carnivorous animals actually get some of the vitamin D they need from the meat they eat. For the longest time, meat was not considered a good source of vitamin D, primarily because it was so difficult to measure that we didn’t think it contained useful amounts. He recommends getting approximately 5,000 to 6,000 IUs of vitamin D per day from all sources – sun, supplements, and food – in order to reach and maintain a healthy blood level of 40-60 ng/ml. Optimize your gut health. Regularly eating fermented foods, such as fermented vegetables, will help reseed your gut with beneficial bacteria that may play an important role in preventing heart disease and countless other health problems. Quit smoking and reduce your alcohol consumption. Exercise regularly. Exercise is actually one of the safest, most effective ways to prevent and treat heart disease. In 2013, researchers at Harvard and Stanford reviewed 305 randomized controlled trials, concluding there were "no statistically detectable differences" between physical activity and medications for heart disease. High-intensity interval training, which requires but a fraction of the time compared to conventional cardio, has been shown to be especially effective. Pay attention to oral health. There's convincing evidence linking the state of your teeth and gums to a variety of health issues, including heart disease. In one 2010 study, 14 those with the worst oral hygiene increased their risk of developing heart disease by 70 percent, compared to those who brush their teeth twice a day. Avoid statins, as the side effects of these drugs are numerous, while the benefits are debatable. The only group of people who may benefit from a cholesterol-lowering medication are those with genetic familial hypercholesterolemia. This is a condition characterized by abnormally high cholesterol, which tends to be resistant to lowering with lifestyle strategies like diet and exercise. If you have any questions, please ask your doctor at Beck - Thibodeau Chiropractic Clinic. Source: www.mercola.com, 2/28/15.

4 Factors That Shorten Your Lifespan

A recent article in The Week reviews seven things that will make you sick or lead to premature death according to science. Included in this list is smoking, being a pop star, playing football, and staying in an unhappy marriage. More important, I think, are the following four dietary and lifestyle factors: 1) Too Much Sugar Reduces Your Lifespan - A diet high in sugar causes a host of health problems that can take years off your life and lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Processed foods are the primary culprit. Added sugars hide in 74 percent of processed foods under more than 60 different names, so you may not even be aware of just how much sugar you’re eating on a daily basis. According to the featured article: “Sugar accounts for 15 percent of the average American's daily calorie intake, and the WHO recommends that number be reduced to no more than five percent, or roughly 25 grams — six teaspoons — per day. That's less than what's found in a single can of soda. Free sugars are found in white and brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and additives like high fructose corn syrup. ‘The key point is that we are consuming way too much added sugars for good health,’ says Rachel Johnson of the American Heart Association.” While obesity alone is associated with one in five deaths in the US, sugar may also have other, perhaps more direct impacts on longevity specifically. Professor Cynthia Kenyon, whom many experts believe should win the Nobel Prize for her research into aging, discovered that non-vegetable carbohydrates directly affect specific genes that govern youthfulness and longevity. By eliminating non-vegetable carbohydrates, Professor Kenyon was able to make roundworms live six times longer than normal. Even more interesting, they also kept their health and youthful vigor until the end. Her findings have been successfully repeated in other labs around the world using other animals, including rats, mice, and to some extent, monkeys. Humans also have these same genes, indicating these results should apply to us as well. Excessive amounts of refined sugar and processed fructose and grains cause insulin resistance, and most of the disease-promoting effects of a processed food diet can be traced back to this. Insulin is a major accelerant of the aging process, and also affects many bodily processes, all of which can impact your longevity. For example, insulin alters the expression of numerous hormones; stimulates your sympathetic nervous system; and promotes vasoconstriction. As noted by Dr. Robert Lustig, many of the chronic diseases we struggle with today are in fact insulin resistance states. In essence, whichever organ becomes insulin resistant ends up manifesting its own metabolic syndrome. For example, when you have insulin resistance of the liver, you end up with type 2 diabetes. When you have insulin resistance of the brain, you end up with Alzheimer’s disease. Insulin resistance of the kidney leads to chronic renal disease, and so forth. To reduce your risk of disease, you want to keep your insulin levels as low as possible, and one of the quickest and easiest ways to do this is to avoid processed foods and sweetened beverages of all kinds. As a standard recommendation, keep your total fructose consumption below 25 grams per day. 2) Artificial Sweeteners Take a Toll on Your Health - Many mistakenly opt for artificial sweeteners to keep their sugar consumption in check, not realizing just how harmful this trade-off may be. Contrary to industry claims, research over the last 30 years—including several large scale studies—have shown that artificial sweeteners stimulate appetite and increase cravings. They also produce a variety of metabolic dysfunctions that promote fat storage and weight gain. Research also shows that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame actually worsen insulin sensitivity to a greater degree than sugar! Other mechanisms of harm have also been revealed. Most recently, scientists discovered that artificial sweeteners disrupt your intestinal microflora, thereby raising your risk of both obesity and diabetes. Most importantly, this study proves causation. Specifically, the researchers found that artificial sweeteners alter metabolic pathways associated with metabolic disease. Decreased function was observed in pathways associated with the transport of sugar in the body, for example. Artificial sweeteners were also found to induce gut dysbiosis and glucose intolerance in otherwise healthy people. Glucose intolerance is a well-known precursor to type 2 diabetes, but it also plays a role in obesity, because the excess sugar in your blood ends up being stored in your fat cells. Besides worsening insulin sensitivity and promoting weight gain, aspartame and other artificial sweeteners also promote other health problems associated with excessive sugar consumption, including cardiovascular disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. While poor diet is a major driver of Alzheimer’s in general (the primary culprits being sugar/fructose and grains, especially gluten), the key mechanism of harm here appears to be methanol toxicity—a much-ignored problem associated with aspartame in particular. 3) Trans Fat –A Primary Driver of Heart Disease - For decades, saturated fats were said to cause heart disease. Responding to such health concerns, the food industry replaced saturated fats with trans fats, giving rise to a whole new market of low-fat (but high-sugar) foods. Trans fat is also a major contributor to insulin resistance. Americans' health has plummeted ever since, and millions have been prematurely killed by this horrible mistake. Trans fat, found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, is thought to act a pro-oxidant, contributing to oxidative stress that causes cellular damage, and many researchers agree that there is no threshold at which trans fats are safe. Dr. Fred Kummerow, author of Cholesterol Is Not the Culprit, has researched fats for eight decades, and he was the first researcher to note that trans fat clogs your arteries and promotes heart disease. Moreover, trans fats prevent the synthesis of prostacyclin, which is necessary to keep your blood flowing. When your arteries cannot produce prostacyclin, blood clots form, and you may succumb to sudden death. Trans fat has also been linked to dementia. While trans fat consumption decreased by about one-third between 1980-2009, many are still getting far too much trans fat in their diet. The problem is that it’s oftentimes hidden. Even products boasting a “zero trans fat” label can contain trans fat, because food manufacturers are not required to list trans fat if it falls below a certain amount per serving. Using ridiculously tiny serving portion is a legal loophole that permits food manufacturers to mislead you about the trans fat in their products. As a general rule, to successfully avoid trans fats, you need to avoid any and all foods containing or cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, so be sure to check the list of ingredients. Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed trans fats from the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list. This is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, instead of reverting to healthy saturated fats like coconut oil, lard, and butter, trans fats are being replaced with other non-saturated vegetable oils that produce toxic cyclic aldehydes when heated. These byproducts appear to be so harmful they may even make trans fats look benign in comparison, and we may not realize the full ramifications of this switch until a decade or two down the line. 4) Low Vitamin D Level Raises Your Mortality Rate - Last but not least, optimizing your vitamin D stores can go a long way toward preventing disease and living a longer, healthier life. Researchers have pointed out that increasing levels of vitamin D3 among the general population could prevent chronic diseases that claim nearly one million lives throughout the world each year. Compelling evidence actually suggests optimizing your vitamin D can reduce your risk of death from any cause. At this point, the known health benefits of vitamin D number in the hundreds, if not thousands, in part due to the fact that it influences about 10 percent of all your genes. Sensible sun exposure appears to be the best way to optimize your vitamin D level. If your circumstances don’t allow you to access the sun, then taking a vitamin D supplement is certainly advisable. In this case, be sure to take vitamin D3—not synthetic D2—and take vitamin K2 and magnesium in conjunction with it, as both are essential for its optimal function. Vitamin D is fat soluble, so taking some form of healthy fat with it will also help optimize absorption. There are a number of important reasons for these recommendations. For starters, the biological role of vitamin K2 is to help move calcium into the proper areas in your body, and without sufficient amounts, calcium will build up in areas such as your arteries and soft tissues. This can cause calcification that can lead to hardening of your arteries—a side effect previously thought to be caused by vitamin D toxicity. We now know that inappropriate calcification is actually due more to lack of K2 than simply too much vitamin D. Magnesium is also important, both for the proper function of calcium, and for the activity of vitamin D, as it converts vitamin D into its active form. Magnesium also activates enzyme activity that helps your body use the vitamin D. In fact, all enzymes that metabolize vitamin D require magnesium to work. As with vitamin D and K2, magnesium deficiency is very common, and if you’re lacking in magnesium and take supplemental calcium, you may exacerbate the situation. Dietary sources of magnesium include sea vegetables, such as kelp, dulse, and nori. Vegetables can also be a good source. The Reward of a Healthy Diet and Lifestyle Include a Longer, Healthier Life. The good news here is that avoiding refined sugar/processed fructose, trans fat, and artificial sweeteners is actually rather easy. By trading processed foods for real food—food that is whole (unprocessed, or minimally processed) and ideally organic and/or locally grown, you will automatically eliminate all three. Another piece of good news is that, according to Dr. Kummerow, your body will eliminate trans fats in about a month. So, if you want to live a longer, healthier life, start cooking at home using fresh, whole, unadulterated ingredients, ideally organic. Source: The Week, 2/13/15.

5 Health Tips If You Sit All Day

In recent centuries, advances in industry and technology have fundamentally changed the way many humans spend their waking hours. Where it was once commonplace to spend virtually all of those hours on your feet – walking, twisting, bending, and moving – it is now the norm to spend those hours sitting. The modern-day office is built around sitting, such that you can conduct business – make phone calls, send e-mails and faxes, and even participate in video conferences – without ever leaving your chair. But there’s an inherent problem with this lifestyle. Your body was designed for near perpetual movement. It thrives when given opportunity to move in its fully intended range of motion and, as we’re now increasingly seeing, struggles when forced to stay in one place for long periods. What Happens When You Sit for Too Long? Studies looking at life in natural agriculture environments show that people sit for about three hours a day. The average American office worker can sit for 13 to 15 hours a day. The difference between a “natural” amount of sitting and modern, inappropriate amounts of sitting is huge, and accounts for negative changes at the molecular level. According to Dr. James Levine, co-director of the Mayo Clinic and the Arizona State University Obesity Initiative, there are at least 24 different chronic diseases and conditions associated with excessive sitting. As he wrote in Scientific American: “Sitting for long periods is bad because the human body was not designed to be idle. I have worked in obesity research for several decades, and my laboratory has studied the effect of sedentary lifestyles at the molecular level all the way up to office design. Lack of movement slows metabolism, reducing the amount of food that is converted to energy and thus promoting fat accumulation, obesity, and the litany of ills—heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and more—that come with being overweight. Sitting is bad for lean people, too. For instance, sitting in your chair after a meal leads to high blood sugar spikes, whereas getting up after you eat can cut those spikes in half.” Not surprisingly, sitting for extended periods of time increases your risk for premature death. This is especially concerning given the fact that you may be vulnerable to these risks even if you are a fit athlete who exercises regularly. It takes a toll on your mental health, too. Women who sit more than seven hours per day were found to have a 47 percent higher risk of depression than women who sit four hours or less. There’s really no question anymore that if you want to lower your risk of chronic disease, you’ve got to get up out of your chair. This is at least as important as regular exercise… and quite possibly even more so. 5 Tips For Better Health If You Work At A Computer You might think this sounds good in theory… but how do you translate your seated computer job into a standing one? It’s easier than you think. For starters, check out these essential tips for computer workers. 1. Stand Up - If you’re lucky, your office may be one that has already implemented sit-stand workstations or desks. Those who used such workstations easily replaced 25 percent of their sitting time with standing and boosted their well-being (while decreasing fatigue and appetite). But if you don’t have a specially designed desk, don’t let that stop you. Prop your computer up on a stack of books, a printer, or even an overturned trash can and get on your feet. 2. Get Moving - Why simply stand up when you can move too? The treadmill desk, which was invented by Dr. Levine, is ideal for this, but again it’s not the only option. You can walk while you’re on the phone, walk to communicate with others in your office (instead of e-mailing), and even conduct walking meetings. 3. Monitor Your Screen Height - Whether you’re sitting or standing, the top of your computer screen should be level with your eyes, so you’re only looking down about 10 degrees to view the screen. If it’s lower, you’ll move your head downward, which can lead to back and neck pain. If it’s higher, it can cause dry eye syndrome. 4. Imagine Your Head as a Bowling Ball - Your head must be properly aligned to avoid undue stress on your neck and spine. Avoid craning your head forward, holding it upright instead. And while you’re at it, practice chin retractions, or making a double chin, to help line up your head, neck, and spine. 5. Try the “Pomodoro Technique” - You know those little tomato-shaped (pomodoro is Italian for tomato) timers? Wind one up to 25 minutes (or set an online calculator). During this time, focus on your work intensely. When it goes off, take 5 minutes to walk, do jumping jacks, or otherwise take a break from your work. This helps you to stay productive while avoiding burnout. You’re Not a Prisoner to Your Chair If you’re still sitting down while reading this… now’s your chance – stand up! Many progressive workplaces are helping employees to stand and move more during the day. For instance, some corporations encourage “walk-and-talk” meetings and e-mail-free work zones, and offer standing workstations and treadmill desks. But if yours isn’t among them, take matters into your own hands. You may be used to sitting down when you get to work, but try, for a day, standing up instead. One day can turn into the next and the next, but please be patient and stick with it. Research shows that it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to build a new habit and have it feel automatic. Once you get to this point, you’ll likely already be reaping the many rewards of not sitting, things like improved blood sugar and blood pressure levels, less body fat and a lower risk of chronic disease. Source: mercola.com, 1/31/15.

7 Best Foods You Can Eat

If you want to increase your energy, boost your mood, lose weight, and lower your risk of chronic disease, there's no doubt that tending to your diet should be a priority. But figuring out what to eat to be healthy may seem overwhelming. There is no one-size-fits-all diet for everyone. Your age, health, gender, and lifestyle all play a role in determining how much protein, healthy fat, and carbs you need, for instance. In addition, it's important that your diet is one you find satisfying and can stick with. The best eating plan is one that encompasses a variety of foods. This keeps your meals interesting and also increases your ability to get the nutrients you need, at appropriate levels, from your food. What you'll notice is that it's not a diet at all, but rather a way of life. What you'll also notice, if you browse through the plan, is that allows you the freedom to customize your meals to your individual likes and dislikes, while guiding you toward truly healthy food. The fact is, even though there's no diet that's right for everyone… there are certain foods that come close. The 7 foods that follow are top examples. These foods are universally healthy and, in the majority of cases, should be part of your meals on a frequent basis. 1. Grass-Fed Beef and Beef Liver - Factory farming both agriculturally and for animals has seriously perverted not only the health of the animals but secondarily the health of those that eat them. Ditching your grain-fed CAFO (confined animal feeding operation) beef in favor of grass-fed beef will result in far better nutrition (and less exposure to antibiotics and pathogenic bacteria). A joint effort between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Clemson University researchers determined a total of 10 key areas where grass-fed is better than grain-fed beef for human health. As for organ meat, it is a nutritional powerhouse, loaded with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other compounds vital to your health – and in which many Americans are deficient. Liver in particular is packed with nutrients, which is why predatory animals eat it first and why it has been so highly prized throughout history. 2. Dark Leafy Greens - Consuming a variety of fresh organic greens is one of the best things you can do for your body. Topping the list in terms of nutrient density are watercress, chard, beet greens, and spinach—but adding other gorgeous leafy greens such as lettuce, kale, collards, dandelion leaves, mustard greens, and escarole will just add to your overall nutrient infusion. Greens like spinach and kale are loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants including beta-carotene, vitamin C, and sulforaphane. Spinach provides folate, which research shows can dramatically improve your short-term memory. Eating folate-rich foods may also lower your risk for heart disease and cancer by slowing down wear and tear on your DNA. Some leafy greens, including collards and spinach, contain vitamin K1, which is good for your veins and arteries. Beet greens are even higher in iron than spinach and strengthen your immune system by stimulating your body's production of antibodies and white blood cells, while protecting your brain and bones. When preparing your veggies, use quick, gentle cooking methods (only cooking to a tender-crisp, not mushy texture) to preserve the most nutrients. Also try to eat a good portion of them raw, which will allow you to receive beneficial biophotons. 3. Pastured Eggs - True free-range eggs, now increasingly referred to as "pasture-raised," are from hens that roam freely outdoors on a pasture where they can forage for their natural diet, which includes seeds, green plants, insects, and worms. Testing has confirmed that true pastured eggs are far more nutritious than commercially raised eggs. The dramatically superior nutrient levels are most likely the result of the differences in diet between free ranging, pastured hens and commercially farmed hens. Eggs are also a valuable source of high-quality protein and fat—nutrients that many are deficient in. And I believe eggs are a nearly ideal fuel source for most of us. In addition to high-quality proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, eggs contain two amino acids with potent antioxidant properties -- tryptophan and tyrosine. Egg yolks are also a rich source of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which belong to the class of carotenoids known as xanthophylls. These two are powerful prevention elements of age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness. 4. Fermented Foods - Fermenting is one of the best ways to turn ordinary vegetables into superfoods. The fermenting process (also known as culturing) produces copious quantities of beneficial microbes that are extremely important for your health, as they help balance your intestinal flora and boost your immunity. When fermenting vegetables, you can either use a starter culture or simply allow the natural enzymes, and good bacteria in and on the vegetables, to do the work. This is called "wild fermentation." Personally, I prefer a starter culture, because you have more control over the microbial species and can optimize it to produce higher levels of vitamin K2 (certain probiotic strains can produce more K2 than others). Just one quarter to one half cup of fermented food, eaten with one to three meals per day, can have a dramatically beneficial impact on your health. The culturing process produces hundreds if not thousands of times more of the beneficial bacteria found in typical probiotics, which are extremely important for human health. Yogurt and kefir made from grass-fed raw milk are two additional examples of fermented foods. Kefir is a traditionally fermented food that is chockfull of healthy bacteria (probiotics). Far from simply helping your body to better digest and assimilate your food (which they do very well), probiotics influence the activity of hundreds of your genes, helping them to express in a positive, disease-fighting manner. Friendly bacteria also train your immune system to distinguish between pathogens and non-harmful antigens, and to respond appropriately. This important function prevents your immune system from overreacting to non-harmful antigens, which is the genesis of allergies. Probiotics can even help to normalize your weight, and lack of beneficial bacteria in your gut may play a significant role in the development of type 2 diabetes, depression, and other mood disorders, and may even contribute to autism and vaccine-induced damage. Please beware that pasteurized products will NOT provide you with these health benefits, as the pasteurization process destroys most of the precious enzymes, bacteria and other nutrients. This is why it's important to make your own kefir or yogurt at home. As mentioned, you can get many of the same (and likely superior) benefits, by making fermented vegetables as well. For a very small investment (five or six medium-sized cabbages and other veggies to taste, celery juice for brine and, if you like, starter culture that produces high levels of vitamin K2), you can easily make up to 14 quart jars of fermented vegetables, which are an ultimate superfood. 5. Grass-Fed or Pastured (Not Pasteurized) Raw Butter - Good old-fashioned butter, when made from grass-fed cows, is rich in a substance called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA is not only known to help fight cancer and diabetes, it may even help you to lose weight, which cannot be said for its trans-fat substitutes (i.e. margarine). Butter is a rich source of easily absorbed vitamin A (needed for a wide range of functions, from maintaining good vision to keeping the endocrine system in top shape) and all the other fat-soluble vitamins (D, E, and K2), which are often lacking in the modern industrial diet. Butter is rich in important trace minerals, including manganese, chromium, zinc, copper, and selenium (a powerful antioxidant). One Swedish study also found that fat levels in your blood are lower after eating a meal rich in butter than after eating one rich in olive oil, canola oil, or flaxseed oil. The scientists' main explanation is that about 20 percent of butterfat consists of short- and medium-chain fatty acids, which are used right away for quick energy and therefore don't contribute to fat levels in your blood. Therefore, a significant portion of the butter you consume is used immediately for energy. The very best-quality butter is raw (unpasteurized) from grass-fed cows, preferably certified organic. (One option is to make your own butter from raw grass-fed milk.) The next best is pasteurized butter from grass-fed or pastured organic cows, followed by regular pasteurized butter common in supermarkets. Even the latter two are healthier choices by orders of magnitude than margarines or spreads. Beware of "Monsanto Butter," meaning butter that comes from cows fed almost entirely genetically engineered grains. This includes Land O'Lakes and Alta Dena. 6. Wild Alaskan Salmon - Research suggests that eating oily fish like Alaskan salmon once or twice a week may increase your lifespan by more than two years, and reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 35 percent. This is because such fish is an excellent source of animal-based omega-3 fats. Compared to those in the lowest percentiles, those with omega-3 blood levels in the highest 20 percent were 27 percent less likely to die of any cause, 40 percent less likely to die of coronary heart disease, and 48 percent less likely to die of an arrhythmia. To maximize the health benefits from fish, steer clear of farmed fish, including farmed salmon. Levels of omega-3 fats are reduced by about 50 percent in farmed salmon, compared to wild salmon, due to the use of grain and legume feed. High levels of contaminants are also common in farmed salmon, which is why I recommend wild Alaskan salmon. Seafood labeled "Alaskan" cannot be farmed. Alaska does an incredible job at protecting their brand integrity when it comes to seafood, in addition to ensuring quality and sustainability. If you don't see the "Alaska" label or a logo from the Marine Stewardship Council, the seafood you are buying is likely farmed. If you're not a fan of salmon, you can get many of the same health benefits by eating anchovies or sardines. 7. Mushrooms - About 100 species are being studied for their health-promoting benefits, and about a half dozen really stand out for their ability to deliver a tremendous boost to your immune system. In fact, some of the most potent immunosupportive agents come from mushrooms, and this is one reason why they're so beneficial for both preventing and treating cancer. Long-chain polysaccharides, particularly alpha- and beta-glucan molecules, are primarily responsible for the mushrooms' beneficial effect on your immune system. In one study, adding one or two servings of dried shiitake mushrooms was found to have a beneficial, modulating effect on immune system function. Mushrooms are not only capable of bolstering immune function and potentially fighting cancer. Aside from being rich in protein, fiber, vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, and minerals, mushrooms are excellent sources of antioxidants. They contain polyphenols and selenium, which are common in the plant world, as well as antioxidants that are unique to mushrooms. One such antioxidant is ergothioneine, which scientists are now beginning to recognize as a "master antioxidant." I highly recommend adding a variety of mushrooms to your diet, including shitake, maitake and reishi. As a caveat, do make sure they're organically grown in order to avoid harmful contaminants that mushrooms may absorb and concentrate from soil, air and water. Also, avoid picking mushrooms in the wild unless you are absolutely sure you know what you're picking. There are a number of toxic mushrooms and it's easy to get them confused unless you have a lot of experience and know what to look for. Growing your own is an excellent option and a far safer alternative to picking wild mushrooms. A Step-by-Step Plan for Dietary Success A full 80 percent of the health benefits you reap from a healthy lifestyle can be attributed to your diet, with the remaining 20 percent coming from exercise. The challenge is that dietary advice can be a bit of a moving target. It needs to be regularly revised based on new research and wisdom from personal explorations of applying this research. My free comprehensive nutrition plan, helps you benefit from the information that has taken me more than 30 years to compile The plan is updated with recommendations such as the addition of fermented vegetables as a source of healthy probiotics and using intermittent fasting and high-intensity exercise to really optimize your health. I encourage you to go through it from the beginning, as this plan is one of the most powerful tools to truly allow you and your family to not only optimize your diet but also to take control of your health. Source: mercola.com, 1/11/15