Why Use Cast Iron Pans Instead of Non-Stick?

Did you know that using a non-stick pan on high heat releases enough toxic chemicals into the air to kill a small bird resting on your shoulder?  Don't take my word for it, research it for yourself!

http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/healthandfitness/a/nonstickpans.htm

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5350341

Good Morning Super Berry Breakfast Shake

4 tbsp hulled hemp seed (16 g protein, 21 g fat, 251 calories)

100 g of organic mixed berries, or about 2/3 cup (1 g protein, 12 g carbs, 50 calories)
100 g of organic plain yoghurt (about 1/2 cup) (5 g protein, 2 g fat, 8 g carbs, 55 calories)

1 tbsp organic maple syrup (55 calories, 13.5 g carbs) OPTIONAL

1/4 cup organic cranberry juice (27.5 calories, 7 g carbs)

Put all these ingredients together in a blender, and mix on high until smooth and creamy. Pout into a large glass, and enjoy!

Total:
22 grams of protein, 23 grams of fat, 40.5 grams of carbohydrates, and 438.5 calories.

See? This is a totally balanced, amazingly quick breakfast drink that doesn’t come in a package, is made with entirely whole foods, and will leave you feeling full and satisfied into the afternoon. If you’d like to skip the sweetener, definitely add a banana instead.

Mixed Greens Salad With Chickpeas and Hemp

2 cups mixed greens organic salad (20 calories, 2 g. protein)

3 tbsp. hulled hemp seeds (188 calories, 12 g protein, 15.5 g fat)

1/2 cup cooked chick peas (130 calories, 7 g protein, 1 g fat)

2 tbsp mixed oil and vinegar salad dressing (1 part omega oils, 1 part olive oil, 2 parts balsamic or apple cider vinegar... Shake!) (120 calories, 14 g fat, )


Total 458 calories, 21 g of protein, 30.5 g of really good fats.

On Alcohol Consumption and Health

Drinking wine, having a beer with pizza, or a night cap before bed is not an unusual occurrence in most North American homes. Alcohol consumption is a socially acceptable (and some would even argue socially required) form of creating an altered state, one in which the consumer feels more at ease, relaxed, and generally has lowered inhibitions. Although there have been a number of studies conducted on the relative benefits of alcohol consumption (particularly in relation to red wine), there are also numerous studies which point out the not so beneficial effects of long term alcohol consumption.

Here are a list of facts regarding the long term effects of alcohol consumption on the body. Decide for yourself whether or not a drink a day is worth the price...

• Alcohol is also classified as a food because it contains calories. The average drink has about the same calorie count as a large potato but, unlike a potato or any other food, alcohol has no nutritional value. The calories are empty.
  

• Alcohol dilutes itself in the water volume of the body in order to travel through the system. Those vital organs, like the brain, that contain a lot of water and need an ample blood supply are particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol.
  

• The Liver: Located in the upper-right side of the abdomen, the liver is the body's largest glandular organ. Its complex functions are associated with dozens of processes of body chemistry and metabolism. It produces the bile that helps digest fatty foods; it manufactures heparin, an anticoagulant, it stores and releases sugar. The liver also produces antibodies that help ward off disease, and it cleanses the body of poisons, including alcohol. With small amounts of alcohol, this cleansing can happen effectively. When the amount of alcohol is high, imbalances are created which can lead to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hyperuricemia (as in arthritis or gout), fatty liver (which may lead to hepatitis or cirrhosis), and hyperlipemia (build-up of fats sent to the bloodstream; which leads to heart problems).

• One effect of drinking alcohol is "blood-sludging" where the red blood cells clump together causing the small blood vessels to plug up, starve the tissues of oxygen, and cause cell death. This cell death is most serious, and often unrecognized, in the brain. With this increased pressure, capillaries break, create red eyes in the morning, or the red, blotchy skin seen on the heavy drinker's face. Blood vessels can also break in the stomach and esophagus leading to hemorrhage, even death.
  

• Other effects of alcohol on the blood include: anemia; sedation of the bone marrow (which reduces the red and white blood count, and weakens the bone structure); lowered resistance to infection; and a decrease in the ability to fight off infections.
  

• The Gastrointestinal Tract: The stomach, the small and large intestines, and the pancreas are each affected by alcohol. Alcohol increases acid in the stomach. That can result in gastritis or stomach or intestinal ulcers. The pancreas produces insulin which is necessary to regulate the amount of sugar in the blood. Drinking causes a steep rise in the blood sugar; the pancreas responds by producing insulin which causes a fast drop in blood sugar and the symptom of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. 70-90% of alcoholics suffer to some degree from the disorder of hypoglycemia, chronic low blood sugar, as a long term effect of their drinking. Symptoms of hypoglycemia can include dizziness, headaches, lack of ability to concentrate, depression, anxiety, light-headedness, tremors, cold sweats, heart palpitations, loss of coordination, and upset stomach. In time, the drinker's overworked pancreas may stop producing insulin and diabetes can result. Conversely, a person with a family history of diabetes may be more vulnerable to problems with alcohol.
  

• Alcohol reduces blood flow to the muscles, including the heart, causing muscle weakness and deterioration. One outcome is cardiomyopathy (sluggish heart) which is common in alcoholics. Another outcome, arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), or "holiday heart,"is often treated in emergency wards after several days of party drinking. Muscle aches are a common symptom of excessive-drinking "hangovers."
  

• The Endocrine System: This system controls the body's hormones and includes the pineal, pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands, and the ovaries or testes. Alcohol sedates these glands, resulting in under-production of hormones; effects include increased susceptibility to allergies. Alcohol can effect sexual functioning in various ways. In low doses, it lowers inhibitions and may make a person feel sexier; but in higher doses, it can decrease sexual functioning: in men, by decreasing the frequency of erections, decreasing the maintenance of erections, decreasing penile size during erection, and increasing the amount of time between erections, in women by interfering with normal processes of sexual stimulation, and blocking orgasmic response. With chronic and prolonged use of alcohol in men, there is a shrinkage of sex glands and an increase of the "female hormone" estrogen. This produces secondary sexual characteristics, such as enlarged breasts and a decrease in body hair. Prolonged use of alcohol can cause infertility in both men and women.
  

• Secondary Diabetes: Diabetes can result from prolonged, excessive use of alcohol. Because it is caused by drinking and not from a genetic disorder, it is called "secondary" diabetes. The symptoms are identical to genetic or "primary" diabetes. Abstinence from alcohol is a vital part of treatment for this disorder.
  

• Vitamins and Proteins: Those who use alcohol excessively deprive their bodies of essential nutrients. The drinker and the recovering alcoholic must pay special attention to diet. A diet high in protein not only provides many of the nutrients vital to recovery, but also keeps the blood sugar from too rapid change. It is better for those who drank excessively to get protein from eggs, milk, or vegetables, than from meats or cheeses. Because of an already-fatty liver, excessive drinkers cannot process the extra fat. When they eat meat, fruit should be eaten; it aids in breaking down fats. Vitamin supplements are helpful for people with drinking problems: these include, vitamins A, B, C and E. Protein supplementation may be important to reducing alcohol craving and maintaining emotional balance for alcoholics wanting to recover from their past heavy drinking. Similarly, a diet high in complex carbohydrates stabilizes blood glucose and reduces the low blood sugar state that can lead to craving alcohol. Understanding one's own special nutritional needs is an important aspect of recovery from excessive alcohol use.
  

(This information is merely the condensed form of an online article entitled “Biological Impacts Of Alcohol Use: An Overview”, By:  Michaele P. Dunlap, Psy.D,  Clinical Psychologist)

Additive Avoidance

When we go the grocery store, most of us expect the shelves to be lined with food, food being defined as “ any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or plants absorb, in order to maintain life and growth”. We trust that when we spend our hard earned money to feed and nourish ourselves and our families, that retailers are indeed, providing us with the food that we need.

Ahhh, if it were all so simple.  

Unfortunately, our food system is governed by a profit motive, first and foremost, and as such, much of what is now sold as “food” fails to measure up to it’s very definition. Most of what is now sold is packed, boxed, bagged, tubed, canned, or frozen, and contains a number of different chemicals to enhance shelf life, flavour, texture, color, or any other feature of the product that would make it more economically viable, and appealing to the consumer.  

Little consideration is given to the long term effects of ingesting such novel substances on a regular basis. Just how much calcium proprionate can one body handle? How much decomoposing carageenan does it take to cause a serious case of colon cancer? These are questions that are seldom asked, and more infrequently answered.  

There have been a few bold pioneers that dare to step out and question the FDA and it’s decisions to release substances into the public food supply that are “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS). There are scientists that have subjected these substances to the rigors of unbiased testing, and have come to some conclusions that would have a lot of us questioning the “safe” status of many of the substances we regularly ingest.

I’ve compiled a list of a few of the most common and most dangerous chemical culprits that you may very well find lurking in your food supply at home. Take a look at this list of awful additives, and maybe you’ll want to clean out your kitchen after you do!

• Natural Flavor - also known as artificial flavor, yeast extract, organic flavour and “spices” Was once known as MSG until the “food” makers found a way to extract and condense this nasty neurotoxin and call it anything they like! Essentially, this is a highly concetrated form of glutamate. To our brains, it is the protein in food that the human body recognizes as meat. So the brain tells the body to eat, and eat lots. Our brains are tricked into thinking that the body is getting something very nutritious when it’s getting nothing at all except some very toxic substances. How toxic? These concentrated glutamates build up in the brain tissue, and can cause lesions on the brain. Actual lesions. This has been proven with rat studies. MSG and it’s “natural flavour” cousin have been implicated in headaches and even permanent brain damage. Some recommended reading on this topic? “Excitotoxins” by Dr. Russell Baylock . In his book he describes how nerve cells either disintegrate or shrivel up in the presence of free glutamic acid, aka MSG. Nearly 100% of all processed foods contain some form of MSG, and the glutamates in MSG are absorbed directly from the mouth into the brain. For more information on natural flavor and all it’s cousins, please visit http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/dirty-secrets.html
  

• Carageenan - this is a commonly used food additive that is extracted from seaweed by using powerful alkali solvents, which would be capable of removing the tissue from your hands. As carageenan is digested in the human gut, it actually becomes carcinogenic. Dr. Joanne Tobacman of the University of Iowa has proven this using human tissue in her studies, and many other studies have indicated similar findings. These studies have far-reaching implications, but they have not been enough to remove this known carcinogen from our food supply. For more information on carageenan, please visit http://notmilk.com/carageenan.html
  

• Soy Lecithin - this substance is commonly used as an emulsifier, to keep fats and water from separating in foods like margarine, peanut butter, chocolate candies, ice cream, coffee creamers, and infant formula. It also helps prevent spoilage, and extends the shelf life of foods. So what’s wrong with lecithin? It’s a waste product of the food processing industry. It comes from the sludge left after crude soy goes through a “degumming” process. It is a waste product containing solvents and pesticides and has a consistency ranging from a gummy fluid to a plastic solid. It is processed using hexane. For more information about lecithin, please visit http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/lecithin.html
  

• Caramel -  No, this isn’t the sweet treat that you may think, it’s actually a coloring that’s commonly found in cola, brown bread, fruit juice, ice cream, and most recently in my vanilla flavoured organic yoghurt! This coloring has been implicated in a number of neurological disorders and has adverse effects on disease immunity systems.
  

• Nitrates/Nitrites - commonly found in preserved meat such as ham, bacon and other deli selections and ripened cheeses, these are are known to cause the blood disorder rnethaernoglobinernia, particularly in infants. Also known to cause the growth of cancerous tumors, cause changes in chromosome structure, and cause birth defects. 
  

That’s just my top five, but there are A LOT of nasties out there. My advice? If you can’t pronounce it, don’t know what it is, and could concoct it in your kitchen or grow it on a farm, then you probably shouldn’t be putting it in your mouth. But don’t just take my word for it. There are a lot of great resources out there that do a terrific job of divulging the dirty secrets of the food industry. Here are some links, and sugegsted reads:

http://www.newint.org/issue135/action.htm

www.wholesoystory.com

Books:
“Diet for a Poisoned Planet: How to Choose Safe Foods for You and Your Family - the Twenty First Century Edition” By David Steinman

“The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Brains and Harming our Children”  By Carol Simontacchi

Additive alert! : what have they done to our food? : a consumer's action guide / prepared by Pollution Probe (Randee Holmes).

A Cup a Day?

So many of us wake up in the morning to the dreadful sound of our alarm clocks, and we haul our reluctant bodies from slumber, and up into the fast pace of our everyday lives. With little time for breakfast, or even a moment to pause and consider nourishing ourselves for the day, we grab a cup of coffee and head out to do the daily grind. Ah yes, the daily grind... something that relates to both coffee and our stress levels! And how do we respond to stress and fatigue?

We drink coffee!

• The average american drinks over 26 gallons of coffee per year. Coffee contains over 300 chemicals, and caffeine is only one of them. There are about 75mg of caffeine in the average cup of coffee, but in expresso, the caffeine content is over 100mg. Average? Over 3 cups per day, for more than half the American population.

• Aside from the fact that coffee pulls minerals out of storage in the bone tissue and hastens their excretion from the body, (this increases the potential for osteoporosis, PMS, menopause symptoms, gastrointestinal disturbances, and increased blood pressure) coffee is not kind to the brain either.

• Coffee is an addictive drug, in the same category as cocaine and amphetamines, affecting the same parts of the brain as cocaine, although different and weaker.

• Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world today.  At least 80% of the world’s adult population uses enough caffeine laced beverages and foods to affect the brain.

• Caffeine enhances the effects of dopamine (enhances sexual arousal and performance, increases hypersensitivity and hyperresponsivity, large muscle activity, etc).

• Caffeine increases the energy metabolism throughout the brain but simultaneously reduces the amount of blood flowing to the brain, so while the brain’s energy requirements are higher, there is less energy pumped in to meet this elevated demand.

• Caffeine increases the stimulating neurohormone, noradrenaline, and reduced the calming neurotransmitter, serotonin.

• Coffee increases the secretion of calcium from our bones, hastening the onset of osteoporosis.

• Coffee increases the rick of birth defects

• Coffee increases blood pressure, increasing the risk for developing heart disease.

• Coffee is implicated in seizure disorders

• Coffee contributes to insomnia, depression, and anxiety disorders.

• Coffee, along with sugar, is one of the most monied industries in the world. (What about coffee karma? The politics of equitable coffee production aren’t even being considered here! It’s a well known fact that some of the poorest nations in the world supply our coffee, and it is readily apparent that these farmers and producers are not the monied ones in the industry.)   For a little more on the story of karmatic coffee, click here.
  

Although having a cup of coffee might seem like the perfect solution in terms of alleviating your fatigue, it actually does way more harm than good. If you have trouble coming off your fix, try substituting green tea for your morning brew. Although it contains caffeine, it contains much less than the average cup of coffee and comes with the added benefit of being a rich source of free-radical fighting anti-oxidants.  

With appropriate sleep and adequate physical activity, pretty soon your coffee dependency will be a thing of the past!

Just a Spoonful of Sugar?

Sugar. Sweet and refined. Delicious and incredibly addictive. Why all the fuss over a little bit of sweetness?

People love sugar. In fact, the sugar industry is one of the largest in the world. Whole nations have unwittingly devoted vast tracts of viable agricultural land to the sole purpose of producing sugar for foreign consumption. Aside from the controversial politics involved in our sugar consumption, there are a number of other health-related reasons to limit one’s sugar intake as much as possible. Here are a few of them, along with some very interesting sugar facts!

• In 1821, the average American consumed about 10 lbs. of sugar per year. By 1993, the average American was consuming over 147 lbs. of sugar per year!
  

• From 1986 through 1996, sugar intake has grown by 20%, now accounting for over 20% of teenagers’ calorie intake.
  

• During WWI and WWII, when people often could not afford luxuries such as sugar and white flour, or these foods were restricted by the government, people often resorted to eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and limited amounts of beef. Researchers found that the incidence of chronic disease and death dropped significantly during these periods of “deprivation”.
  

• Joseph Beasley, author of “The Kellogg Report” wrote in 1989,
  

“Sugar’s amazing rise has been paralleled by a dramatic rise in arterial disease and other chronic conditions during this century, leading some experts to wonder about the physiological and psychological impact of consuming enormous quantities of what is very nearly pure blood sugar. Indeed few realize today just how relatively new sugar is to the human diet. It was the inscrutable Jesuits, in 1751, who introduced the United States to sugar - bringing cane plants to New Orleans from Haiti - and by 1791 commercial production of this new delicacy was humming.”

• High loads of blood sugar are very dangerous for the brain. Although the brain is fueled by sugar, it can’t handle excessive sugars, so the pancreas leaps to the rescue, dumping insulin into the bloodstream to remove excess sugars before they can”burn” the brain. At each meal, the pancreas senses how much insulin is needed, even before digestion and absorption are complete, so an insulin reaction can happen very quickly. Large amounts of insulin is are released to deal with large sugar loads. Then, just as rapidly as sugar is pulled out of the blood stream and deposited in the liver. When the liver is full, the excess sugar is stored as fat. Often times, due to high sugar consumption, the insulin response of our bodies is exaggerated. This causes blood sugar levels to plummet shortly after high sugar consumption. This can lead to crankiness, or an inability to concentrate. The brain goes into panic mode due to this low blood sugar, and may even stimulate the adrenal glands to produce cortisol in an effort to raise blood sugar. Elevated levels of cortisol can cause hyperactivity and can cause damage to the seat of memory, the hippocampus.
  

What About High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Although there are some very powerful interest groups out there, who are busy trying to make you believe that high fructose corn syrup is “just like sugar” and can be safely consumed if done “in moderation”, there is a lot of research out there that demonstrates otherwise!

• In studies with rats, fructose consistently produces higher kidney calcium concentrations than glucose. Fructose generally induces greater urinary concentrations of phosphorus and magnesium, and lowered urinary pH compared with glucose. (The minerals found in your urine are actually being leached from your body and bones!)
  

• In humans, fructose feeding leads to mineral losses, especially higher fecal excretions of iron and magnesium.
  

• Because it is metabolized in the liver, fructose does not cause the pancreas to release insulin the way it normally does. Fructose converts to fat more than any other sugar, and it raises serum triglycerides significantly. For complete internal conversion of fructose into glucose and acetates, it must rob ATP energy stores from the liver. (ATP is the fuel required by muscles to function).
  

• Fructose inhibits the metabolism of copper. A deficiency in copper leads to bone fragility, anemia, defects in connective tissue, arteries, and bone, infertility, heart arrythmias, high cholesterol levels, heart attacks, and an inability to control blood sugar levels. (Diabetes anyone?)
  

• High fructose corn syrup is the primary sweetener used in soft drinks. Soft drinks are big business, and soft drink vending machines are present in the majority of school facilities in North America.

One or two servings of fruit each day is perfectly healthy, but commercial fruit juices and any products containing high fructose corn syrup are more dangerous than sugar, and should be removed from the diet.



Are there ANY Good Carbohydrates?

And one more important point - know your sugars! There are “good” sugars and “bad” ones. Simple sugars, AKA monosaccharides are things like sucrose, lactose, fructose and galactose. These sugars are generally low in nutrients and high in calories. All refined sugars fall into this category.

Complex sugars, or carbohydrates include starches, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These carbs are generally nutritionally dense, and have the benefit of added dietary fiber, which will aid in digestion. In order to ensure normal brain and nervous system fucntion, and to stave off any sort of fatigue, optimal carbohydrate intake is necessary. Good carbohydrates should account for 55-65% of you daily calorie intake.

Simple sugars, monosaccharides, cause rapid insulin responses in the body, and can lead to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which will leave you feeling tired, dizzy, and definitely irritable. And after all that hard work pumping insulin around, your body is left with excess sugars in the liver, and has no choice but to turn those sugars into stored energy, something we know as fat.



Further Reading and Internet Resources:

“The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children”. By Carol Simontacchi. (2000)

“Waistland: The (R)Evolutionary Science Behind Our Weight and Fitness Crisis” By Dierdre Barret, Ph. D. (2007)

www.westonaprice.org