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April 9th, 2012Health and Wellness, Internet, Software, Technology
Howcast.com is a great Web site, where you can learn how to do (almost) anything – from how to perform magic tricks to how to play drums to how to “shotgun” a beer, etc., etc.
For example, here is a useful video from Howcast that explains how to get rid of hiccups:
One thing that Howcast.com won’t teach you is how to win a full-featured version of WinX DVD Ripper Platinum from this blog! You can learn more about this great product and how to enter to win by clicking this button:
Win Me!
DON’T DELAY! This is the LAST DAY to enter! The drawing will be held TOMORROW, April 10, 2012, and the winners will have until April 18 to download and register the software.
Tags: software -
December 21st, 2011Health and Wellness, Music
Don’t let us get sick
Don’t let us get old
Don’t let us get stupid, all right?
Just make us be brave
And make us play nice
And let us be together tonight
The sky was on fire
When I walked to the mill
To take up the slack in the line
I thought of my friends
And the troubles they’ve had
To keep me from thinking of mine
Don’t let us get sick
Don’t let us get old
Don’t let us get stupid, all right?
Just make us be brave
And make us play nice
And let us be together tonight
The moon has a face
And it smiles on the lake
And causes the ripples in Time
I’m lucky to be here
With someone I like
Who maketh my spirit to shine
Don’t let us get sick
Don’t let us get old
Don’t let us get stupid, all right?
Just make us be brave
And make us play nice
And let us be together tonight
Tags: cancer, sick, warren zevon -
October 28th, 2011Food and Drink, Health and Wellness
Note: The following report, issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) refers to “black licorice”. I realize that I suffer from OCD (or CDO, as I call it because it is in proper alphabetical order); however, it makes me crazy when I hear people talk about “black licorice” and “red licorice”. Licorice (or “Liquorice”) is a flavor . . . and it is always black. Go to the store and check out the Twizzler packages . . . there are “Licorice Twizzlers”, which are black . . . and there are “Strawberry Twizzlers”, which are red. Licorice is black; strawberry and cherry flavored candy is red and is NOT licorice.
That said, here is the FDA’s report:
As it turns out, you really can overdose on candy — or, more precisely, black licorice.
Days before the biggest candy eating holiday of the year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encourages moderation if you enjoy snacking on the old fashioned favorite.
So, if you’re getting your stash ready for Halloween, here’s some advice from FDA:
If you’re 40 or older, eating 2 ounces of black licorice a day for at least two weeks could land you in the hospital with an irregular heart rhythm or arrhythmia.
FDA experts say black licorice contains the compound glycyrrhizin, which is the sweetening compound derived from licorice root. Glycyrrhizin can cause potassium levels in the body to fall. When that happens, some people experience abnormal heart rhythms, as well as high blood pressure, edema (swelling), lethargy, and congestive heart failure.
FDA’s Linda Katz, M.D., says last year the agency received a report of a black licorice aficionado who had a problem after eating the candy. And several medical journals have linked black licorice to health problems in people over 40, some of whom had a history of heart disease and/or high blood pressure.
Katz says potassium levels are usually restored with no permanent health problems when consumption of black licorice stops.
Licorice, or liquorice, is a low-growing shrub mostly grown for commercial use in Greece, Turkey, and Asia. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says the plant’s root has a long history of use as a folk or traditional remedy in both Eastern and Western medicine. It has been used as a treatment for heartburn, stomach ulcers, bronchitis, sore throat, cough and some infections caused by viruses, such as hepatitis; however, NIH says there are insufficient data available to determine if licorice is effective in treating any medical condition.
Licorice is also used as a flavoring in food. Many “licorice” or “licorice flavor” products manufactured in the United States do not contain any licorice. Instead, they contain anise oil, which has the same smell and taste. Licorice root that is sold as a dietary supplement can be found with the glycyrrhizin removed, resulting in a product known as deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL, NIH says.
If you have a fondness for black licorice, FDA is offering this advice:
No matter what your age, don’t eat large amounts of black licorice at one time.
If you have been eating a lot of black licorice and have an irregular heart rhythm or muscle weakness, stop eating it immediately and contact your healthcare provider.
Black licorice can interact with some medications, herbs and dietary supplements. Consult a health care professional if you have questions about possible interactions with a drug or supplement you take.
If you’ve experienced any problems after eating licorice, contact the FDA consumer complaint coordinator in your area.
Tags: Health -
October 18th, 2011Food and Drink, Health and Wellness
I recently received this in an email from a friend. My limited research gives me no reason to believe that it’s not true.
Gillian McKeith is a Scottish TV health guru advocating a holistic approach to nutrition and health, promoting exercise, and a vegetarian diet of organic fruits and vegetables. She recommends “detox diets”, colonic irrigation and supplements, states that yeast is harmful, that the color of food is nutritionally significant, and extols the utility of mapping your pimples and the detailed examination of your feces and urine. Her best-selling book is titled You Are What You Eat.
She is 51 years old, and here’s her photo:
Nigella Lawson is a food writer, journalist and TV chef in England. She eats nothing but meat, butter and desserts. The Sunday Telegraph called her best-selling book How to Eat “the most valuable culinary guide published this decade.”She is also 51 years old, and here’s her photo:
Hmmm.
Tags: Diet, Health -
September 3rd, 2011Health and Wellness
Have we been misled by conventional medical authorities, physicians and pharmaceutical companies? Does saturated fat really decrease heart disease and other medical problems? Are carbohydrates and grains the real cause of obesity, diabetes and heart disease?
Although I don’t advocate either side of the debate, I found the following article to be very interesting. Several of the comments (both pro and con) are also very interesting and sometimes persuasive.
The Forbidden Food You Should Never Stop Eating
Posted By Dr. Mercola | September 01 2011 | 219,244 views |
Disponible en EspañolStory at-a-glance - Claim that saturated fat causes heart disease is based on flawed evaluation of data
- Modern studies show saturated fat decreases heart disease risk
- Excess carbohydrates in the form of fructose and grains is the root cause of obesity, diabetes and heart disease
Conventional medical authorities say that consumption of saturated animal fats is bad for you and causes heart disease.
But a hundred years ago, fewer than than one in one hundred Americans were obese, and coronary heart disease was unknown. The Procter and Gamble started marketing Crisco as a new kind of food — the first commercially marketed trans fat. Crisco was originally used to make candles and soap, but with electrification causing a decline in candle sales, Procter and Gamble decided to promote the fat as a “healthier” all-vegetable-derived shorteningAccording to LewRockwell.com:
“Feeding high doses of fat and cholesterol to omnivores, like rats and dogs, does not produce atherosclerotic lesions in them … In fact, it turns out that people who have highest percentage of saturated fat in their diets have the lowest risk of heart disease … The last word on this subject should go to Julia Child … Enjoy eating saturated fats, they’re good for you!”
Dr. Mercola’s Comments:
The demonization of saturated fat began in 1953, when Dr. Ancel Keys published a paper comparing saturated fat intake and heart disease mortality. His theory turned out to be flimsy, to say the least, but the misguided ousting of saturated fat has continued unabated ever since. Fortunately, the truth is finally starting to come out, as medical scientists have begun to seriously question Keys’ findings.
Time to Put Ancel Keys’ Theory to Rest
Keys based his theory on a study of six countries, in which higher saturated fat intake equated to higher rates of heart disease. However, he conveniently ignored data from 16 other countries that did not fit his theory. Had he chosen a different set of countries, the data would have shown that increasing the percent of calories from fat reduces the number of deaths from coronary heart disease.
And, as illustrated in the featured article, when you include all 22 countries for which data was available at the time of his study, you find that those who consume the highest percentage of saturated fat have the lowest risk of heart disease.
Furthermore, many have now realized that it’s the trans fat found in margarine, vegetable shortening, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils that is the true villain, causing far more significant health problems than saturated fat ever could!
Still, despite the scientific evidence, the low-fat dogma remains a favorite among most government health authorities. Case in point: the most recent food chart issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in December of last year, recommends reducing your saturated fat intake to a mere seven percent of caloric intake—down from its previously recommended 10 percent…
Newer Studies Debunk Keys’ Theory
The USDA’s lowered recommendation is illogical when you consider the evidence available today, which supports saturated fat as a necessary part of a heart healthy diet. For example, as discussed in the featured article, a number of indigenous tribes around the world are living proof that a high-saturated fat diet equates to low mortality from heart disease.
These include:
Tribe Primary Diet Percentage Saturated Fat Maasai tribe in Kenya/Tanzania Meat, milk, cattle blood 66 percent Inuit Eskimos in the Arctic Whale meat and blubber 75 percent Rendille tribe in NE Kenya Camel milk, meat, blood 63 percent Tokealu, atoll islands in New Zealand territory Fish and coconuts 60 percent And then there’s human breast milk, which contains 54 percent saturated fat. Since breast milk is the most perfect diet in existence for developing infants, the presence of high amounts of saturated fat cannot easily be construed as a “mistake.”
Furthermore:
- A meta-analysis published last year, which pooled data from 21 studies and included nearly 348,000 adults, found no difference in the risks of heart disease and stroke between people with the lowest and highest intakes of saturated fat.
- In a 1992 editorial published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Dr. William Castelli, a former director of the Framingham Heart study, stated:
“In Framingham, Mass., the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the person’s serum cholesterol. The opposite of what… Keys et al would predict…We found that the people who ate the most cholesterol, ate the most saturated fat, ate the most calories, weighed the least and were the most physically active.”
- Another 2010 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a reduction in saturated fat intake must be evaluated in the context of replacement by other macronutrients, such as carbohydrates.
When you replace saturated fat with a higher carbohydrate intake, particularly refined carbohydrate, you exacerbate insulinresistance and obesity, increase triglycerides and small LDL particles, and reduce beneficial HDL cholesterol. The authors state that dietary efforts to improve your cardiovascular disease risk should primarily emphasize the limitation of refined carbohydrate intake, and weight reduction.
I believe that last point is very important, and is likely a major key for explaining the rampant increase in obesity, heart disease and diabetes. And once you can pinpoint the problem, turning it all around becomes that much easier.
Carbohydrates, Not Fat, is the Root of Obesity and Heart Disease
Heart disease is so common today, it’s hard for people to remember that a mere 100 years ago, this disease was really uncommon. As Dr. Donald Miller writes in the featured article:
“There were 500 cardiologists practicing in the U.S. in 1950. There are 30,000 of them now – a 60-fold increase for a population that has only doubled since 1950.”
Such an explosion of heart disease indicates that something has changed that is contributing to this epidemic.
What is that “something”?
Our diet!
Most likely, the studies that have linked the so-called “Western diet” to an increased heart disease risk simply confirm that sugar and refined carbohydrates are harmful to your heart health. Because although the Western diet is high in red and processed meats and saturated fats, it’s also alarmingly high in sugar and refined carbs like bread and pasta. And, as concluded in the last study listed above, when you reduce saturated fat and increase refined carbohydrates, you end up promoting obesity, heart disease and diabetes…
Gary Taubes has also done an excellent job of explaining the connection between carbs and obesity and its related health issues in his book Why We Get Fat: and what to do about it.
In a nutshell, eating fat and protein does not make you fat—carbohydrates do.I firmly believe the two primary keys for successful weight management and reducing your risk for diabetes, heart disease and other weight-related health problems are:
- Severely restricting carbohydrates (sugars, fructose, and grains) in your diet, and
- Increasing healthy fat consumption
According to last year’s Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the top 10sources of calories in the American diet are:
- Grain-based desserts (cakes, cookies, donuts, pies, crisps, cobblers, and granola bars) 139 calories a day
- Alcoholic beverages
- Yeast breads, 129 calories a day
- Pasta and pasta dishes
- Chicken and chicken-mixed dishes, 121 calories a day
- Mexican mixed dishes
- Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks, 114 calories a day
- Beef and beef-mixed dishes
- Pizza, 98 calories a day
- Dairy desserts
Looking at this list, it plain to see that CARBS—i.e. sugars (primarily fructose) and grains—are the primary sources of our weight- and health problems, not saturated fats.
(As an update, you’ve often heard me state that soda is the number one source of calories in the US diet, which it was—based on the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The updated NHANES survey above covers nutritional data from 2005-2006, placing grain-based foods in the top two slots. Still, soda comes in at number four, and I still believe a lot of people, particularly teenagers, probably get a majority of their calories from fructose-rich drinks like soda.)
The Different Types of Fat
Fats can be confusing, but you can generally divide fats into four types:
- Saturated fats, from animal fat and tropical oils
- Monounsaturated fat, such as olive oil
- Polyunsaturated fat, such as omega-3 and omega-6 fats
- Trans fats, such as margarine
Sources of healthy fats include:
Olives and Olive oil Coconuts and coconut oil Butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk Raw Nuts, such as, almonds or pecans Organic pastured egg yolks Avocados Grass fed meats Palm oil Unheated organic nut oils Another healthful fat you want to be mindful of is animal-based omega-3. Deficiency in this essential fat 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. For more information about omega-3′s and the best sources of this fat, please review this previous article.
Having the proper balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fats is also very important for optimal health. So in addition to increasing your omega-3 (which most people are sorely deficient in), you also want to decrease your consumption of omega-6, found primarily in:
- Corn oil
- Soy oil
- Canola oil
- Safflower oil
- Sunflower oil
The ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 is 1:1, but the typical American diet is more like 1:20 in favor of omega-6. The overabundance of these oils in processed foods of all kinds explains our excess omega-6 levels.
The other fats you want to avoid are the trans fats. Trans fats are formed when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil during food processing in order to make it solidify. This process, known as hydrogenation, makes fats less likely to spoil, so foods stay fresh longer, have a longer shelf life and also have a less greasy feel. The end result of the hydrogenation process is a completely unnatural fat that causes dysfunction and chaos in your body on a cellular level.
Your Body NEEDS Saturated Fat for Optimal Function
Saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources provide a number of important health benefits. In fact, your body cannot functionwithout saturated fats! Saturated fats are needed for the proper function of your:
Cell membranes Heart Bones (to assimilate calcium) Liver Lungs Hormones Immune system Satiety (reducing hunger) Genetic regulation Healthy Fat Tips to Live By
So please remember, you do need a certain amount of healthy fat, while at the same time you’ll want to avoid the unhealthy varieties. The easiest way to accomplish this is to simply eliminate processed foods, which are high in all things detrimental to your health: sugar, carbs, and dangerous types of fats.
After that, these tips can help ensure you’re eating the right fats for your health:
- Use organic butter made from raw grass-fed milk instead of margarines and vegetable oil spreads. Butter is a healthy whole food that has received an unwarranted bad rap.
- Use coconut oil for cooking. It is far superior to any other cooking oil and is loaded with health benefits. (Remember that olive oil should be used COLD, drizzled over salad or fish, for example, not to cook with.)
- Following my nutrition plan will automatically reduce your modified fat intake, as it will teach you to focus on healthy whole foods instead of processed junk food.
- To round out your healthy fat intake, be sure to eat raw fats, such as those from avocados, raw dairy products, and olive oil, and also take a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fat, such as krill oil.
Source: LewRockwell.com 2011
Related Links:
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
…Everything is now LOW FAT…except the population!!… I always say look at the real world for the truth and then you will avoid any vested interest’s input, either directly or through the ‘education’ of us. Farmers don’t feed their animals saturated fats because the animals get energetic, lean and fail to put on weight rapidly…which is why the feed them GRAINS, of course! since cholesterol is part of your systems repair system, surely it seems mad to reduce it, instead of addressing the underlying problem that is trying to be repaired? As ever, follow the money, smell the s…
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
You’re so right, David. Furthermore, it’s been well documented that cholesterol from the foods we eat does NOT contribute to high cholesterol readings in our bodies. It seems the body knows the difference between the cholesterol it makes and the cholesterol it eats, and so gets rid of the foreign version. So all these low-cholesterol foods are a total waste.
Here’s a great article: www.proteinpower.com/drmike/low-carb-diets/jack-lalanne-vs-ancel-keys/
And another: beforeitsnews.com/story/162/582/25_Reasons_the_2010_Dietary_Guidelines..
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
What great points, David! The population is most assuredly not low fat, rotflol! My dad grew up in a farming community in the 40s and 50s, and everyone knew if you want to fatten a cow, the way is grain. Same thing for pigs and just about everything else. So why do we think it’s any different for people? We’re magically supposed to be thin on grains? Veganism is indeed a “faith” by that definition.
I’ve been cooking grain-free for years now. Starch-free, too: the other foods fed to animals to increase their weight are things like potatoes, carrots, and other things high in starches and sugars.
Rome used to give away grain free to the poorest people. That’s because if you’re starving, grains will keep meat on your bones. But take a look at the surviving cookbooks of the wealthy, and there’s really not a whole lot of grains in them. Even desserts tended to be fruit-based over grains! Poor Rome: no cakes.
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Hi Mike!..and thanks for your response.
As they say, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink” and this is especially true of people’s beliefs, concerning what constitutes a healthy diet.
I grow most of my parent’s veg’ and they eat saturated fats every day from quality meat, fish and coconut oil, very little sugar and processed carbs.My father used to be TYPE 2 Diabetic and have higher blood pressure.Not any more and he is an amazing 85 years young…mother 84 and the same.They play badmington,table tennis,swim and are fully aware and alert.It is not rocket science eh?!
As I said before, look at the real world for your best choices.
My vegan and vegetarian ‘friends’ are just as impossible to convince as everyone else’s…until they get sick.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
I’ve never listened to the Doctors advice on eating a high fiber/low fat diet. They always tell you to avoid foods high in fat and cholesteral. They tell you to eat whole grains…..
I always had problems accepting this notion that eating a high fiber diet loaded with whole grains and starches was healthier than eating meat. I always ask the doctors to explain to me how the cow got so fat when all they eat is grass and whole grains.
When I was a teenager the world went mad and all but put the butter industry out of business. My mother brought home a tub of margerine one day and I refused to eat it. It tasted like motor oil and it stunk! My mother was a health finatic and she tried to convince me that margerine was healthier to eat. At the age of 13 I asked her how something synthetic/man made is healthier than something that is 100% natural? You can’t even pronounce half the ingrediants in a tub of margerine and it looks, smells, and taste horrible!
She bought me my own brick of butter and I was the only person who ate it. Everyone else in the household ate the margerine….SUCKERS!!
1 Points
Posted On Sep 03, 2011
SUCKERS! Bahaha!
Same at my house.
I advocate cures to all their ailments, but alas…
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
It would be heresy for me to state saturated animal fat is good for you at work. Co-worker see my skinny butt eating nuts full of saturated fats and scorn me for being stupid, they avoid fatty foods like that, while they eat Dilly Bars. Then later ask me what I do to “look good”. The establishment couldn’t have been wrong for the last 30 years? Everyone with high cholesterol is told to reduce their fat intakes, especially saturated fats. AND isn’t this a standard of care? It amazes me how idiotic sickcare really is much of the time. I educate people when I see they are open to it.
I feel bad for the doctors who do not want to promote lies like this, some of them leave. I know one that won’t vaccinate their kids, I love it. But don’t you want to care for others the way you would care for yourself. It’s morally and ethically conflicting.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I know the feeling.Lots of people think I’m nuts for the way I eat also.When I was a kid I’d eat a dozen eggs for breakfast,and in the afternoon I eat a gallon of butter pecan ice cream and my parents didn’t think it was strange though.
2 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Many have asked me how I stay thin, but when I begin to tell them what I do they don’t like it and write me off as someone who can’t possibly be an authority on losing weight and staying thin, because it “must be my metabolism instead”.
8 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
bmc, Well they are right about your metabolism. Your metabolism is good because you feed your hormones correctly. “Hormone problems,” seem to be this mystery fluke that just happens to people with bad luck, not to people who start by running insulin out of balance and the rest of the hormones go out of balance trying to compensate.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
1 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
It is amazing to me how the medical society can be so wrong about what a healthy diet is.
My job does annual “Wellness” exams and they give free lipids test. Every year I start my low/no carb diet 2 weeks before the test and I never have triglycerides over 60 and cholesteral over 150. Sometimes my triglycerides are so low that their machine won’t detect them. Every year I ask them how my lipids can be so low and every year they answer the same way……”you must be eating a No-Fat diet that’s very high in Fiber”
I ask them where they went to school and proceed to tell them they know nothing about health. Then I tell them I’ve eaten nothing but eggs, bacon, and steak for 2 straight weeks with NO vegitables and they call me a liar. I turn around and call them an idiot then I get everyone in the office to vouch for me that they never see me eat anything but MEAT. The doctors and nurses just turn and walk away once they see they can’t run their brain washing BS over me. I accuse them of carrying out the Devil’s work by promoting lies and deception so they can keep everyone sick.
Another reason we will never have a government sponsored insurance program………….. Think about it. The government created this Obesety epedimic for the purpose of making everyone so sick that they would exhaust all the benefits from their private health insurance. It is a money making machine. If Obama passed a Goverment Health Care plan it would bank rupt the governemnt in 6 months. They will have to come clean and tell everyone that the food pyramid was a BIG FAT LIE! That will never happen because it will destroy the entire basis of our economy.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I always say, if fat made you fat, farmers would feed their cattle lard and bodybuilders would live on bread. But that’s just not how things work.
For the most comprehensive breakdown on the science of saturated fat and cholesterol, read this fantastic article by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon: www.health-report.co.uk/saturated_fats_health_benefits.htm
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
Excellent article Mike! It explains all the fats well…
“In summary, our choice of fats and oils is one of extreme importance. Most people, especially infants and growing children, benefit from more fat in the diet rather than less. But the fats we eat must be chosen with care. Avoid all processed foods containing newfangled hydrogenated fats and polyunsaturated oils. Instead, use traditional vegetable oils like extra virgin olive oil and small amounts of unrefined flax seed oil. Acquaint yourself with the merits of coconut oil for baking and with animal fats for occasional frying. Eat egg yolks and other animal fats with the proteins to which they are attached. And, finally, use as much good quality butter as you like, with the happy assurance that it is a wholesome—indeed, an essential—food for you and your whole family.”
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
It’s also very important to realize that you need saturated fats in your diet to allow the omega 3′s and omega 6′s to be utilized by the body. Eliminating saturated fats is a very dumb idea.
Most people have the belief that animal fat is all saturated fat and causes heart disease. Much of this bad information has been fed to the public by either ignorance of fats or people with an agenda. Animal fat is only about 46% saturated and the rest is mostly monounsaturated fat, like olive oil. If you feed an herbivore grains, it makes them sick because grains, like corn for example, contain a lot of sugar and this changes the gut bacteria in the animal causing them to harbor different bacteria that damages the animal and shortens their life by almost 75%.
Primitive people at huge amounts of animal meat and were very healthy as a result. Anyone telling you the primary diet of primitive people was fruits and vegetables is totally wrong on many levels. What did people eat when the weather was so bad, no fruits and vegetables were available? Examination of cultures around the world shows that people were very healthy, no cavities, good jaw formations, resistant to diseases by eating lots of animals. These animals at wild grasses and had a healthy diet that made the meat healthy. GRASS FED ANIMALS of today can and are for the most part, extremely healthy just like primitive animals that provided the food for those primitive people.
The longest living people on earth today live in Macau, China. The do not eat the typical Chinese diet. Chinese rank 17th in the world for longevity behind America, Cuba, etc., etc. The people in Macau eat lots of PORK CHOPS (their favorite meat), cook their food, and live to be an average of 84.4 years old. Dr. Mercola has assembled a great article here and people need to wake up and learn what is really required to be healthy. Eating meat is very healthy, but only if you eat the right meat. Same thing applies to fruits & veggie
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
In addition to “fat” assisting the body’s utilization of Omega-3s and Omega-6s, fat is also needed for the body to use the fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E, and K. As much as Dr. Mercola touts the benefits of vitamin D3, it will not be fully utilized by the body if not taken with some form of fat.
Fat is important for the absorption of Vitamin D3 and the other fat-soluable vitamins because these vitamins are carried across the intestinal cell barrier by lipid (fat) molecules.
Read more here: www.inspire.com/groups/national-osteoporosis-foundation/discussion/how..
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
And don’t forget fat soluble Vitamin E (tocopherol+tocotrienols) which protects fats from oxidation in mitochondrial and cell membranes.
This is KEY! Astaxanthin, Vitamin C, carotenoids (present in grass fed meats) and other antioxidant electron sources protect those membranes from free radical damage.
Membrane failure in hot mitochondrial engines is a huge source of oxidative stress and disease.
The low fat myth must die!
1 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
People in Macau, China, originated from Portugal.
Portuguese eat a Meditteranean diet, and very likely high in sea food. In China, they adapted to Chinese diet and included pork. Both Portugal and Japan are sea-faring nations, and probably stay close to a variety of fish in their diet.
Pork is a good source of zink, and zink beefs up resistance to “common cold.” But one benefit of zink is olfatory health. Sense of smell is critical to enjoyment of food. Probably 80% of joy of food is up your nose.
2 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
@enjonn: Thanks for your comment. Actually the people from Macau eat food from about 4 cultures and Portugal is certainly one of them. They do NOT EAT CHINESE DIET that is typical of main land China. The Chinese rank 17th in longevity where the people in Macau, rank NUMBER 1 at 84.4 years old. They do eat fish, but they are big meat eaters and PORK is their favorite food. They make a PORK CHOP BREAD most people in Macau eat each day.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
The article states: “Carbohydrates, Not Fat, is the Root of Obesity and Heart Disease.” Good health begins with what you put in your mouth, on your skin and the air you breath. There are many things that cause obesity and heart disease contrary to the statement made in this article.
The latest science indicates that many Biological transformations take place prior to absorption by your body. Contaminants such as chemicals, metals and metalloids interact with the microbiome in the mouth, intestines and other tissues. Metabolic processes are mediated by microbiomes. An example is the methylation of Mercury and Arsenic which takes place before contaminants enter the internal environment of our bodies.
Microbes are not limited to reproduction, they share genes through plasmids by Horizontal Gene Transfer. This is actually an enabling system for microbes to develope bacterial resistance to environmental toxins prior to their invasion into the bloodstream and body tissue.
This is why it is so very important to avoid environmental toxins, vaccines, Genetically Manipulated foods, Genetically Engineered Foods, supplements and drugs. Microbes naturally develop resistance to chemicals, metals and metalloids and share the wealth transferring these vile toxins with the rest of your body. To the parents of a defenseless new born baby with a developing brain these toxins are particularly worrisome.
In all of human history our food supply has never been so UNSAFE. It is time for change. The Revolution begins with YOU !
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I Love my cholesterol. I Love unprocessed fats. If grains and starchy carbohydrates are supposed to keep you thin someone better tell the “profit driven ruthless chemical farmers” who actually cruelly and inhumanely FATTEN their pigs and cattle on grains. Read history books burn all pharma books.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
….and don’t stop there! Both Mayo’s and Consumer Report’s health letters/ad sheets have recently been hyping polyunsaturates like corn, soy and safflower oils OVER olive oil(monos) and coconut oil. The Mayo blurb claims poly’s help raise HDL!??? How stupid do they think we are? No doubt an attempt to keep (tax deductible) grants flowing-in from those crony capitalist/secret socialists in the ag biddness.
But, one thing. How’s whale meat and blubber 75% saturated? I wouldn’t expect the Inuit AA/EPA ratio to be what it is on such a diet.
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
The very aggravating thing, bloodguy, is that those websites have no forum! So, they tout their “studies” with no dispute or input from anyone but what they want to promote!
2 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Yes, you will note that native Eskimos, Inuits and other near the top of the world natives eat primarily fish and whale meat and blubber and do perfectly well.
Nutz to grains and carbs!
Here’s a bit of good news today: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15511128/ns/health-health_care/t/big-doses-red-wi..
Fat mice fed a lot of wine extract live a long, long time. I’ve got my glass for today. Notice because this is all natural, the article makes sure to point out the research is being done by someone invested in the outcome. You’ll never see that one on a mega pharma drug study! It’s okay, I’m drinking my one glass of wine right now and relaxing. Maybe this is proof I need two…and I just don’t believe that a wine pill (reservatol) is the same as the whole food.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Good work mercola.com!
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
AMEN!! Preach it Dr. Mercola! This is life saving information.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
It’s been my experience over the last 42 years of study on this subject that not everything is so black & white. With enough funding anything can be “proven”–even opposite theories. The example given of the Masai, Eskimos, and others don’t take into consideration other factors of their health & longevity, i.e. Masai die relatively young and Eskimos suffer from incredibly high incidence of osteoporosis. One could point out the Vilcabambans of Ecuador, The Abkhazians of Russia, and the Hunzacut of India who consume, relative to their overall diet, small amounts of animal products yet enjoy astonishing longevity. It would seem that other factors and variables also have to be taken into consideration rather than just isolating one aspect of one’s diet.
On another note, human breast milk is nearly 90% water. Of the solids, approximately 1% is protein, 4.5% is fat, and 7% is carbohydrate. I possess a library of books on physiology and all reflect these numbers.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
You mentioned “Eskimos suffer from incredibly high incidence of osteoporosis.”
This detail means Eskimos live where they have very litte vegetables. They have no cheese and no pickled veggies, and that means they have no source of Vitamin K2, and that means they lack bone maintenance, and calcium fails to go to their bones. Instead, calcium ends up in soft tissues and they would have high arterial calcifications.
2 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Thankyou Sahadev88 for recognising that the examples of the Masai and Eskimos is more an example of how NOT to live. The Masai have a life expectancy of 43, while the Inuit have a life expectancy of 32.
If I had the choice of having low cholesterol and dying at 32, or high cholesterol and dying at 80, I think I’d choose the latter! Maybe the Masai aren’t living long enough to display signs of heart disease?
0 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
As a general rule the longest lived cultures ate roughly 35% Animal products and 65% Plant based products. I am referring to the The Hunza, Russians and Ecuadorans. However what was central to all these long lived cultures is the QUALITY of their foods.
This is an excellent article… Yes saturated natural fats are incredibly healthy….So are heirloom plant based foods…..
What we can all agree on is the fact the our favorite politicians are allowing the worst possible foods to come to our table…. The corporations that bring us these “Frankenfoods” are really despicable but what is far worse are the politicians that allow this to happen…
1 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
sahadev88
I’m glad you point out the importance of other variables of health. It’s interesting that breast milk is only 1% protein and the carbs is almost double that of the fat. I wonder if it varies somewhat based on a woman’s diet. Most all information I’ve seen warns of the damaging effect on one’s kidneys from too much protein. Compounded on that information kidney disease is usually far advanced before anyone will have any symptoms. I for one refuse to eat eggs without toast or loads of veggies and steak without a potato or some other high density carb to balance it out.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
I strongly suggest you read the book “Nutrition and physical degeneration” by Dr. Price. This book contains lots of specific nutritional information that he collected personally from blood samples, diet studies, photographs, and discussions with people before they were exposed to the “Modern man’s diet.” You also should read a book written by experts that really know what they are talking about. I suggest “Know your fats” by Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. who is the world’s foremost expert on fats and oils. BREAST MILK fat is about 55% SATURATED FAT. Infants need 55% fat in their diet and as they age, by their 18th birthday, they should be at 30% fat on a sliding scale.
-2 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
Hey bebig 10–I strongly suggest you learn what you are talking about. I pity the poor souls that go to you for nutritional advice thinking they’re receiving something of worth and instead receiving bulls**t like human breast milk 55% fat. I know you love quoting Price and Enig so I can certainly see how you have become one of those “experts” who know a whole lot about what is not so.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
Living so far from the equator, I don’t know how healthy the Eskimos vitamin D levels would be. I know some would be sourced from their diet, but would it be enough?
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Although this article makes an important point, it’s too simplistic. For one thing, the Inuit have evolved to have larger kidneys than other people, because of their high-protein, high-fat diet. Historically, they have not had easy access to vegetable gardens and fruit trees, and have eaten what they could find, namely animals.
People are a little more varied than this article suggests. A big breakfast of sausage and eggs with coffee makes me feel great and doesn’t damage my health, but the guy sitting next to me might develop hypertension and high cholesterol from the same meal. Even if we’re both white/Northern European Americans.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I get a kick out of the “health” news reports that tell us to avoid movie theater popcorn because of the coconut oil used in making it, but don’t make mention of the mystery buttery topping. The only concern I have with the coconut oil is that it’s probably not organic, and considering the huge vats of popcorn constantly being replenished, it would probably be too expensive to use this, opting instead for a cheap (definitely non-organic) coconut oil. The last time I went to the movies, I asked the person behind the candy/popcorn counter what was in the “buttery topping.”
They showed me a bottle of the product, and it was basically soybean oil and chemicals – THIS is what should be reported by the media as harmful to our health! So, people, bring your own popcorn, either air-popped or made on the stove (all organic ingredients with a little Himalayan salt thrown in), to the movies! Men: Go with a lady that has a big purse.
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
Elanajo, you are so right in your post here. Coconut oil has been demonized by so many ignorant people. I used to work in a popcorn stand when in college. We used pure coconut oil and a sea salt. The corn was NOT genetically modified and I look back and see how things have changed! I agree you need to take your own popcorn to the movies, even if you have to put it in a backpack or purse. The garbage being used to make the movie popcorn is not something you want to put into your body.
2 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
It is becoming more clear that the federal government must have an agenda that includes killing off the useless eaters. One only has to look at the Food Pyramid.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Yes that pyramid would look about right with an ‘all seeing eye’ at it’s centre.
6 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
Yep, just flip the Food Pyramid upside down and you will have a much better idea of how it should be viewed. The Food pyramid was bought and paid for by PROCESSED FOOD MANUFACTURERS.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Comprehensive article….the best I’ve come across.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I think I need to add a proviso here……
Any toxins that are not quickly or easily eliminated from a creature’s body (includes us) are quarantined in fat – so, unless your meat comes from organically fed and raised animals it is probably wise to trim those fats. Added bonus in organic meats – the omega 3 and 6 oils are in a far better ratio.
I am currently using ghee for cooking. I tried coconut oil but do not enjoy the flavour. Sad as I love coconut, coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut water. I have found that I need very little ghee to prevent food sticking to the pans.
Regardless of the hype I have always preferred butter to margarine, although for many the main requirement in their yellow spread is that it spreads easily. Butter does not – and in Australia the temperatures gets too high to keep it out of the refridgerator for long, except for winter time.
My preferred butter is organic as it tastes so much better than ‘standard’ butter.
I had a ‘discussion’ recently after someone did the whole shuddering and – “but that is saturated fat!” thing and asked if they knew that saturated fat was the preferred energy source for your heart and was the least fattening dietary fat – and that the fatty plaque in heart disease was 74% polyunsaturated fat. Of course they got that glazed expression. And of course they are still following the whole saturated fats and salt are injurious to health belief.
Honestly – there were very few deaths from heart disease prior to the introduction of ‘refined’ oils and margarine (and other manufactured foods). Is not the definition of insanity to keep on doing the same things and expect a different result?
Even the doctor who treated my husband after his heart attack told him to eat less processed foods and have his two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables every day.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Good point about the QUALITY of the saturated fat, Heather Marsh! Fat stores all kinds of toxins; when one eats meat from animals consuming GMO’s, dioxins and pesticides, those toxins will then accumulate in their body. Meats cured with nitrites like bacon and sausage, meats from animals in the horrible conditions in CAFO’s, non-organic dairy and butter are all unhealthy sources of saturated fat. Come to think of it, most of the meat and dairy sold in the US is from these unhealthy sources–could that be one reason why saturated fat has such a bad rap?
5 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Heather, you can get expeller pressed coconut oil that has no coconutty flavor. Also Palm oil is great for sauteing at higher temps and doesn’t have flavor. I buy them from Tropical Traditions and the quality is great!
Since I removed all oils, other than Virgin Olive Oil and Rice Bran Oil my hubby’s cholesterol level is down 100 points and now is a healthy 220. Unfortunately the only thing that raised mine was microwave popcorn. No I don’t do that any more, so I sit at a cholesterol level of 111. I’m sure that and low vitamin D (21) are why I got cancer. It has taken me years and huge amounts of D supplements to raise my D level. No, sunshine makes no difference with my D level but I have found it does wonders for my painful hip. I guess the old saying that every body is different is true and one needs to find what works for them.
OOPS, almost forgot about the oil I use to make mayonnaise. Usually I use organic almond oil. We don’t use mayo very often though. So the oils we use are: organic butter, almond oil, rice bran oil, palm oil, coconut oil and the saved drippings from organic bacon. The organic coconut oil does double duty and a hair/scalp treatment and skin emollient.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
hi live4surf
I think it is easier for the medical and dietary professions to paint all saturated fats the same.
And think of the reactions should they publish that the saturated fat from organic meat, dairy and eggs is healthy but not the non organic equivalent.
The general public might even make the connection – that possibly non-organic protein may not be a good choice either!
This would be somewhat threatening to those who persue the MacDonald Brothers style of animal ‘husbandry’. You may know that there are very few independent butchers and abbatoirs in the USA now. If you ever watch ‘Food Inc’ you will find that 3 or 4 concerns process most of the meat and poultry, and the meat and poultry they process are feed lot animals and shed raised chickens. No creature deserves to live and die like that.
No surprise that forcing them to endure those conditions and eat non-traditional foods results in meat, milk and eggs that miss the mark nutritionally and provide unwanted extras (like unnatural hormones plus antibiotics)
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Toxins are “quarantined in fat.”
You get A+ for phraseology!
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
There is something I wouod like to clear up……
I read nearly every day that Dr. Mercola says to avoid or eliminate grains from the diet…..but should this statement be qualified somehwat? As I read the above lists of refined carbohydrates, I see foods that are made largely from processed wheat flours rather than whole grains. Pizza, neary all store-bought breads, cakes, rolls, etc. It’s a near certainty that what most people buy in the supermarket stores is made from enriched bleached white wheat flour and to be sure this stuff is not good nutrionally regardless of how good it tastes.
But what about things like real whole wheat, whole grains, spelt and yeast-free gluten-free products? They have been touted for years by some fairly prominent authorities on real long-term health. I know it’s not what’s in most supermaket chain products, but true whole grain unadulterated products can be found, or made from scratch.
Once again, it is PROCESSED grain products that seem to be the true culprit. So if Dr. Mercola means eliminate processed grains from the diet, SAY SO! Categoric statements serve no one and do not educate.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
The unfortunate thing with modern grains is that most we now use bear very little resemblance to the original plant. Over thousands of years farmers have ‘bred’ plants to favour certain characteristics. Even if you buy and soak wheat berries you are unlikely to get the same levels of nutrients as in biblical times.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Pdef, I thought like you for many years…. I ate only organic whole wheat, organic whole rice, etc., etc. … I thought I was eating a “healthy whole grain organic diet”…. I got old, dull and fat as a result. I finally had to face that a diet high in grains, “whole” or not, was NOT good for me. Cutting out ALL grains, including the ones I had thought were healthy, solved almost all of my health problems. I dropped 30 pounds and have kept it up, need way sleep, am mentally clear and sharp again.
The notion that “whole” wheat is better than highly refined wheat is misleading. You’re better eliminating both from your diet.
9 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Another factor to consider is that today’s modern grains have been bred for the highest possible level of gluten, far higher than the ancestral grains. This “improvement” in gluten content might explain why gluten sensitivity has become so widespread in recent years. Estimates vary, but I’ve seen claims that as much as 85% of the population is gluten-intolerant and probably doesn’t realize it. Reactions to gluten can masquerade as a variety of symptoms, from migraines and “brain fog” to fatigue, depression, infertility and a whole host of other symptoms. It’s not easy to diagnose; the best way to test is to go completely gluten-free for a month…then introduce a small amount of gluten and document your reactions.
5 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
All carbohydrates trigger the same response in the pancreas, liver, etc. – they are treated as sugar. After eating gluten-free for years due to our son’s horrific health problems since birth (projectile vomiting, chronic diarrhea, subsequent dehydration/emaciation), I began to realize that ALL carbs are the main culprit in many diseases. “Sugar Nation” by Jeff O’Connell is an amazing read; also “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taube. What I get from Dr. Mercola is that processed carbs are the WORST since they also contain a toxic soup of additives, but that carbs in general are also bad – maybe a tablespoon of quinoa would be all right – but why bother? We Americans wolf down our healthy “sub sandwiches” (75% bread) and our chips and crackers and cookies and end up 400 pounds and using a scooter to get around…ever peek in the shopping carts of the scooter people? (Hint: it’s always nearly 100% carbs.)
7 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Luv me some fat for energy. Im hooked on avovados. Try to limit animal fat whean eating conventially farmed sources though.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Yes, Dean, avocadoes are wonderful! We have them twice a week.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
Ok, got to agree with all this. I eat a very healthy diet and am in great shape. I am at my ideal weight, but why is it then that when I eat an avocado I pack on the pounds?
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
back in the 80′s 90′s when every doctor said “no more fat”, i said B.S, the body needs it. i would buy lard and olive oil for my cooking and baking. i am now 72 very fit, go to the gym 3 time a week, ride my bike cycle 20-30 miles a week. no joint problems
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
@ sayarma – If you read the article, you’d know that Dr. Mercola is not advocating a diet high in commercially produced animal protein. He is advocating a diet high in naturally raised, grass/pasture fed animal protein and fat.
FWIW, Dr. Mercola’s diet recommendations have taken 35 pounds off me, slowly (which is healthier than losing quickly), and still losing – another 60 pounds or so to go. Though I had been eating a whole food diet for thirty years or so, looking back it is easy to see that my carb intakes escalated after I developed OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea), and had pushed my glucose index to the danger point. Even the whole carbs I had been eating were clearly having a negative effect on my system. Since I have been following his nutritional advice (with the caveat that I cannot afford much in the way of organic pasture raised animal protein), my health has steadily improved. My glucose index has dropped to the normal range.
I find it interesting that Dr. Mercola should cite the health status of the Masai, the Aleut peoples and other very high consumers of animal protein/saturated fat as support for his position, because I have used them independently to support mine. All these peoples have seen their health go steadily downhill after their diets were overwhelmed by ‘modern’, industrial high carb, low fat diets. Such consistency of outcome shouldn’t be ignored.
It is also a reality that though these cultures are fairly common among us, I have been wholly unable to find any culture, contemporary or historical, which has succeeded on a vegan diet. Vegetarians commonly use eggs and dairy and sometimes even seafood in their diets, and there are few enough of those. But the only record I have been able to discover of a population which was forced by circumstance to adopt a vegan diet is cited by Jared Diamond, and that island culture died out when they ran out of animal protein.
We ignore such realities at our peril.
Posted On Aug 31, 2011
I think there are some facts missing from this article, like the lifespans of these cultures. The Masai have an average lifespan of 42 years. Intuits live to about 68. The same with the Tokelau. Perhaps these folks don’t get heart disease because they die early! I am not sure that I want to eat like them. The Okinawans (the culture that lives the longest) have a life expectancy of 81. A comparison of the nutrient profiles of the three dietary patterns shows that the traditional Okinawan diet is the lowest in fat intake, particularly in terms of saturated fat, and highest in carbohydrate intake” – Source -Department of Human Welfare, Okinawa International University. So which culture’s eating habits should one want to emulate? I don’t think we know the answer of the best diet. But without proof of longevity resulting from a high saturated fat diet, it might be too quick to recommend that approach over approaches with better evidence.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Reasons for early Masai deaths; Continual development encroaching on their semi-arid grazing lands, poor supplies of clean water, lack of sanitation, non-existent medical care and high levels of waterborne disease all take their toll. Many of their children die before reaching the age of five. It is also interesting to note that one of the reasons that the Masai have such a high neonatal mortality rate is because Masai women eat less food during pregnancy because they want smaller babies.
Life expectancy does not always say everything. If you have ten people die at the age of five and ten people live to the age of 90, the average life expectancy is still only 45 years.
The Masai eat lots of vegetables and herbs along with their cow’s milk, meat and blood, and they are physically active their entire lives. They lived their entire lives in a natural environment and they are generally happy people. Since life expectancy is dependent of the environment in which the people live, it would be easy to say, if the Masai lived on a land where there was fresh running water, better grazing for their animals, without water borne diseases, malaria, etc; they would live a longer life. More so, than many other cultures.
21 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Read Dr. Weston A Price’s book “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration”, these people were very healthy, they had virtually no diseases, 20/20 vision, no dental deformities “perfect straight white teeth” and almost no tooth decay like we see today, and they did not brush their teeth. They even had better facial development/bone structure than most people do today. The reason these people died young is because they lived hard lives. Just as a wolf may live longer in captivity eating dog food, than a wolf in the wild that could potentially get gored by an elk, but that doesn’t necessarily prove that dog food is “healthier” for a wolf.
The indigenous people of the Swiss Alps were even resistant to tuberculosis. The only thing that has changed is our diet, from “low carb, high fat” to “high carb, low fat” also high cab diets are what farmers use to fatten up their pigs. Coconut oil a saturated fat on the other hand does the exact opposite making animals lose weight not gain weight.
7 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
The above two posts hit a number of excellent points. I’d just like to add a couple more for consideration… N. Americans and Europeans also had shorter lifespans in the past. However, this was the distant past, which coincided with natural diets and virtually no processed food. But if we go back even less than a century, we’ll find that heart disease was a rarity and lifespans were increasing – and this with diets high in unprocessed milk, meats, butter, eggs, etc. Nowadays, however, while people are living longer, heart disease is the #2 killer (after cancer). So diet and lifespan are obviously not the only factors involved.
5 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Another consideration may be the theory of metabolic typing which says that our genetic heritage also determines what constitutes a healthy diet for an individual. According to this theory that Dr. Mercola strongly supports with the nutritional typing approach, for some people it is healthier to eat a diet that emphasizes veggies and carbs, and for others it is healthier to eat relatively more protein and fat.
5 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Okinawans are fanatic about pork. Okinawa has the highest meat consumption compared to all other parts of Japan.
5 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
The Okinawans’ unusual longevity has been attributed in part to the traditional local diet, but also to genetic inheritance, lifestyle, and environmental factors. I am not sure how much saturated fat is in pork – but it is part of the diet, although it has been estimated that the diet averaged one calorie per gram of food. As for which culture to emulate. I would hazard the one with which you share the most common ancestry. And then keep your food as simple and unprocessed and organic as you possibly can. An Eskimo would fail to thrive on the diet of an Hawaian and vica versa.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
@wydell - I got to wondering where in the world is the longest life expectancy. Lo and behold, it’s Macao, where the average citizen makes it to 84.36 years and the average woman is pushing 90 (well, not quite… 87.47). Pork and meat is at least 5 to 6 times a week with some sea food and lots of veggies and fruit. All dishes are heavy in animal based fat, and they do eat guts, and chicken feet, and nothing goes out.
9 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Okinawans do limit their consumption of DAIRY fat, but they use pork lard in their cooking and eat plenty of pork, beef, chicken, organ meat, fatty fish, eggs and seafood, all of which contain saturated fat.
7 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I use coconut oil for cooking and olive oil on salads. A friend suggested I use grapeseed oil. I haven´t seen Dr. Mercola mention this one. Is it recommended?
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I think grape seed oil is ok. Where many cooks get in trouble is cooking food at a heat range to high for the oil to handle. The maximum heat an oil can handle is known as the smoke tempurature. Avocado oil is the highest smoke temp oil and I know of and grapeseed oil is not far behind.
Coconut has a respectable smoke temp of 375 degreesF and grapeseed is higher than that. Smoking oil will carcinogate any food cooked in it. I’ve not seen a comment on grapeseed oil from Dr Mercola either and your question is a very good one.
5 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
This is very right-on, however re. losing weight: I’ve lost over a hundred pounds in the past ten years and kept it off, and keep going down satisfactorily, not by deprivation but by becoming a fish-eating vegetarian. I don’t eat a lot of fish – mostly salmon a couple of days a week – and I never eat white or brown sugar or anything with corn syrup in it. I also don’t eat pasta or wheat products and I have just given up all diet colas and sugar substitutes completely. Feel great, weight coming off, clothes looking fantastic (and I am not skinny). I stay away from most dairy products, drink almond milk and eat Greek yogurt.
I swim laps as often as possible in an Olympic pool nearby and use a stationary bike (and walk when the weather permits because I live in an urban desert city where, for a few months a year, some of us just can’t take the outdoor heat). Not being able to take walks regularly cramps my style, I must admit. I tried walking through our big, local mall recently, but the lights and the crowds made me feel sick. The whole mall thing is just not my kind of environment. Back to not eating meat: it started for health and has now become an ethical issue for me. I won’t eat the flesh of my fellow mammals. When I do, I become ill. Yes, it’s psychological. But it’s also spiritual. I read Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Eating Animals” and was immediately changed by the book. I love being a pescatarian/vegetarian, and may even stop eating fish and dairy soon, as well.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I grew up watching Florence Henderson (the lovely Mrs. Brady from “The Brady Bunch”) promoting Wesson oil on TV. Needless to say, I don’t watch commercials anymore.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I love fat! It gives food flavor. I love using coconut oil in cooking and my skin loves it too. Going on Adkins years ago helped me find a health problem I did not know I had-celiac. I do feel however that there are too many people who want to be the expert. Whatever happened to listening to our bodies to find out what it wants? The personal accounts from people, what they have gone through and how they fixed it has more weight with me. It is good to be informed on dietary issues, what is good for us and bad for us. Some of it is so obvious that one would have to be brainless not to see the truth, but be balanced not fanatical about it. My brother-in-laws neighbor died from a heart attack in his 60′s, a confirmed vegetarian. This does not make vegetarian a bad way a life, but sure makes me want to look deeper before I would try it. Our bodies are unique, one of a kind pieces of art-treat it that way, customize our way of life for ourselves with what we have to work with. We can’t all afford to go organic nor do we all have the time and space to grow or raise our own, so reasonableness is a must. I don’t ascribe to processed foods and a lot of grain products and sweet stuff but occasionally eaten, it won’t kill you unless you are allergic. BALANCE. Dr. Mercola has got a lot of good information and it sure seems that he has our best interests at heart. Always have an open mind.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
We have at least 10 trillion cells in our body. Saturated fat makes up approximately 50% of the cell membrane of these cells. If we lose the structural integrity of the cell membrane, we will get sick and die!
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
The Himalayans put butter in their tea to stay warm and healthy! Raw butter regulates female cycles. Everything is better with butter but “nothing in excess” as Apollo used to say.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Concerning saturated fats. _1.My grandfather born in 1868 lived to the age of 96 and passed peacefully in his sleep. He lived most of his life on a farm and lived with his son and son’s wife after he sold his farm. When they weren’t home, which was often, my grandfather fixed eggs and bacon sometimes three times a day. He had a big black wrought iron fry pan. He cooked his bacon and then dropped the eggs into the drip pings. When the pan was full of grease he dumped it out and started over. His mind was sharp and his body was well preserved. When he went places with his son, people kidded him asking if he was the son. My skin tone also is very good._2:I grew up on a dairy farm. We had a garden which had the benefit of good cow manure. We raised our own chickens, eggs, beef, and hogs. We used raw milk. I My mother made homemade butter which when no one was watching I would eat by the spoonfuls. Everything was from scratch. The only packaged product we used was Junket. We slaughtered hogs in the fall and had wonderful sausage, scrapple, hams, bacon, cans of lard, etc. We cooked and baked with lard. We ate eggs regularly which were from hens that were not caged. We also ate a lot of lamb and fresh seafood, being close to the Atlantic Ocean. Neither of my parents had heart disease. I have no heart disease, no high blood pressure. I’m 73. My cardiologist said everyone has plaque by the time they’re 70. I have none. I have a congenital heart problem. My husband grew up in the city. He has high blood pressure, heart disease – by-pass, stents, and pacemaker and has never smoked. His father who smoked died from a myocardial infarction at the age of 60. We have three daughters. The oldest is 50 and none have high blood pressure. Our 45 year old son-in-law died in his sleep from a heart attack three years ago. He also grew up in the city. I know several young women who have high blood pressure who are in their 40′s. I’ve always had doubts about the dangers of saturated fats.
Posted On Aug 24, 2011
Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon, in the book “Eat Fat Lose Fat”, do a great job on this topic and was instrumental in changing my diet a few years ago. @bebig10- Yes! Nourishing Traditions… I concur:)
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Aloe1.com — if you liked that book, read this article (written with Mary Enig): www.health-report.co.uk/saturated_fats_health_benefits.htm
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Mary Enig, Ph.D. is the world’s foremost expert on fats and oils. She co-authors many books with Sally Fallon. A very good book for you is “Nourishing Traditions.”
13 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Yes, NOURISHING TRADITIONS is supposedly a cookbook, but I can sit down with a highlighter and read nothing but the sidebars…and get a comprehensive, evidence-based education in healthy eating!
3 Points
Posted On Aug 31, 2011
Thank you so much for helping to shine a light into the “dark corners” of so much health (mis)information. Please don’t encourage too much palm oil usage though….that will affect the orang-utans and their habitat.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
This is right on. The best source of information i have ever read was Dr. Johanna Budwig. She was into it deeply and before Udo Erasmus who frankly seemed to parrot her research. Dr. Budwig was the head of her medical class for her MD, then was at the head of her class to become a physicist. She proved that using a good essential fatty acid like flax oil oxygenated the cells better and formed better phospholipid cell walls than any transfats. She had all her grants and research pulled and was banned from her research at some point.
She was known to cure cancer patients with things like cottage cheese (lowfat always for her) and flax oil. The sulfurated proteins in the lowfat cottage cheese acted like a chelating agent and transported the fats into both fat and water soluble situations/places. Oxygenated cells means no cancer. (Dr. Otto Warburg, 1931 Nobel Prize for Medicine proved all cancers at that time were basically fermentation processes taking place in a low oxygen environment.) good health friends.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
As per your post, with cancer patients Dr Max Gerson found that saturated fats and high protein made tumours reappear in his recovered cancer patients. And flaxseed oil was only fats to consume. Same as Dr Budwig (Gerson credits her ideas) small amounts of low fat cheese and kefir from raw organic milk along with buttermilk are allowed after 6 weeks or so. So it seems it is prudent to have a different diet if you are already suffering from cancer or recovered from it. I’m sure if he had the data available on it he would have allowed krill oil too.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Of course this is true!! And it has to be reminded over and over again! My son, a diabetic type 1, is well regulated in his blood sugar and takes insulin in small doses, sometimes zero dose, of Humalog insuline a few times a day because he doesn´t need so much. Instead he eats eggs, fish, broccoli, green beans, butter and cream(from grass-feeding cows). He has rather high level of LDL cholesterol but also a high level of HDL cholesterol which I presume indicates that he needs this cholesterol to repair his osteoarthritis in left hip region and that the rest goes back to his liver for reconstruction! What the doctors here in Sweden do not understand or want to understand, is that this osteoarthritis causes his need for repairment (cholesterol) and that it is devastating to try to reduce his LDL level!
I am so sick and tired of the ignorance and belief in medication. The pharmaceutical companies rule the world and will eventually kill us all. Wonder why. Then they would not have any stupid soles to use as guinea pigs… Best regards and thank you so much for your newsletters and life-essential advices! Lisbeth Candow, Gothenburg, Sweden
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Carl — it’s also important to remember that there are two types of LDL: Pattern A and Pattern B. Pattern A is a harmless, large molecule while Pattern B (VLDL) is implicated in heart disease. If your son’s HDL is high and his triglycerides are low, then his LDL is likely mostly Pattern A. To be sure, he could have a VLDL test done with his next lipid panel. www.michaelmorning.com/…/heart-disease-and-ldl-levels
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Your son can get rid of diabetes type 2 in 30 days. He does not need to suffer with this problem. LDL cholesterol levels indicated by doctors I find are completely erroneous in most cases. If you are using an LDL number that does not separate the Pattern A from Pattern B – LDL cholesterol, you are operating in the dark and do not have good information. The only part of LDL that is bad is the Pattern B and that is really only bad if you have lots of homocystein proteins in the blood as well. These doctors are listening to drug companies instead of the literature and taking the time to truly know what is going on in the human body. It really is disgusting how BAD information is being used and promoted by drug companies just to sell products.
A PCR Lab test will give you the information you need. Cutting out GRAINS, SUGAR, and CORNSTARCH will greatly reduce the Pattern B – LDL in days. It is really the only diet recommendation that truly affects the cholesterol bad guy in the body. Reducing cholesterol can be very damaging to the body on many levels. The liver regulates this very efficiently. Making our livers healthy is far more productive than attempting to reduce cholesterol levels.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I suggest to you that if you fix his digestive problem, this will go a long way to correcting many of the problems he sounds like he has. I also believe you have an infection issue causing the inflammation in the hip and most likely a combination of an Interference field that can be remediated. Treating diabetes by regulating blood sugar levels is not only stupid, but can be very damaging to the body as well. You need to get to the root of the problem and he will become healthy.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
bebig10–I think you missed something. CarlOtto states that his son is a TYPE 1 diabetic (not type 2 as you assumed). So, he does need to regulate his blood sugar levels and like all type 1 diabetics, if they could get to the cause they would! To avoid confusion, there should be two very different names for type 1 and type 2 diabetes to reflect that these are two very different conditions!
9 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
As a Type I diabetic myself I just HAD to back up what live4surf said: Type I and Type II diabetes are very different things! Over 90% of diabetics are Type II so most media outlets simply use the term “diabetics” to mean Type II, completely ignoring the fact that there are Type I’s out there that then get lectured about how they can cure themselves if they just stop eating unhealthy! I know its confusing but its probably just a good idea to check out a quick wikipedia link or something informative about the difference between Type I and Type II before telling people they should be able to cure themselves
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
That good to read that saturated fats are a good thing because I eat at lest a dozen eggs and a pound of hamburger a day.Lots of saturated fats cholesterol.When I was a kid my mom would cook me a dozen eggs for breakfast and my friends thought that was strange.So it looks like I was right again by not listening to the doctors and studies from the past.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I live outside the US and cannot get organic produce, nor grass fed beef nor organic chicken. (sometimes I can get free range eggs, but chickens have most probably been fed grains)
I eat eggs, beef, little chicken, and many green leafy vegetables. Fruit once or twice a week so as not to overdo the fructose. I eat no junk food and try to stay low grain.
My oils are avocado/ghee/coconut for cooking and olive oil for salads.
I am very concerned….pesticides from plants, antibiotics/hormones from animals, and mercury from fish. Heart disease runs in my family but no cancer.
How should I eat? In other words, which diet will kill me sooner/later? LOL
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Based on my knowledge of cooking oils, you should not change a thing. You did not specify if any of the rest of your diet was organic, other than the chicken was not. Fresh organic has no match, but frozen organic is good as is fermented. I live in the desert southwest US, so I can forget about fresh seafood. I have a good source for that in the form of frozen. I refuse to buy local supermarket, as I get mine from Maine or Alaska. There are US sources of frozen beef and chicken if you can afford it. I can help you research the best place to buy if you can tell me if it should come from east or west US.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
Thank you for your help…but I’m not in the US.
No organic available here….the few organic things I do get are all packaged from US. (organic unrefined coconut oil, etc)
No fresh organic produce and no organic meats.
So I’m wondering which would be worse….to concentrate on plant foods (pesticides) or animal foods (antibiotics/hormones). Local fish is not that contaminated as there is no major industry.
I’m stuck on what to eat.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Dr. Mercola’s nutritional typing test was not for me. I tried taking it, and had to quit before I’d finished it. Why? It asked which part of the turkey I’d eat at Thanksgiving; the white meat or the dark. I wouldn’t eat either, ever, and wasn’t going to lie just to take a test that wasn’t designed for me. I haven’t eaten meat of any kind in decades, and I’m perfectly, vibrantly healthy. I went through menopause without a single symptom (other than not having monthly periods). Of course, I get daily exercise, eat only organic food (with the exception of an occasional restaurant meal), get many of my calories from fat (avocados, olives and olive oil, sprouted nuts and seeds, coconut, durian when I can get it, frozen raw acai) to accompany the wide variety of vegetables I eat. I do eat lots of fruit, but it’s almost all salad fruit: cucumber, tomato, ripe peppers, green papaya and the like. I limit my intake of sweet fruit (and sweet vegetables, for that matter, I never juice carrots and beets), and my blood sugar is perfect (fasting blood sugar around 70).
Some of us just aren’t built to eat meat, even if it’s organic and grass-fed. Some of us feel sick after eating an egg (this was true even in childhood, when my mother used to threaten that if I didn’t eat the egg yolk, I’d get rheumatic fever and die). Some of us could not drink a glass of milk no matter how good the source (even right from the organically fed Amish cow). Some of us were born to be vegan, and enjoy it, and are healthy.
Different people have different nutritional needs. Mine do not include animals. Health and peace.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
It’s amazing what has happened to us over the last century and into this one. We’ve actually embraced lies told by fools, for only a fool would produce something sure to make him sick or not know the effect of what he produces simply to make a profit. Such thinking is a form of idiocy, or in some cases insanity which may be similar in scope and behavior. Presently, I have requested by phone, and by live message to a staff member of the FDA on a labeling problem. It’s a very small thing, but in a way it’s indicative of why we’re heading for the rocks. Out of curiosity I accessed the ingredients of Skippy Peanut butter as I imagined the only way it could have such a consistency was to have some sort of trans fats added. Sure enough, Skippy peanut butter Ingredients: *Roasted Peanuts, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Cottonseed, Soybean and Rapeseed) to Prevent Separation, Salt. From the maker (Unilever) 7g Natural protein. As always no trans fat per serving. When I read this I had to rub my eyes, were they deceiving me, and then I went to one of the FDA’s associate agencies, the CDC, which defined trans fats, thus: “These fats are created during food processing when liquid oils are converted into semi-solid fats — a process called hydrogenation. This creates partially-hydrogenated oils that tend to keep food fresh longer while on grocery shelves. The problem is that these partially-hydrogenated oils contain trans fats which can also increase low-density lipoprotein LDL-cholesterol and decrease high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — risk factors for heart disease.” I thought maybe, a very big maybe, and in fact, sure that they would ignore such a thing. I got hold of the labeling department of the FDA. I left a message with the person supposedly handling such labeling infractions. That was five days ago, no response, and I called again and was told the rep was in a meeting, ah meetings, how convenient, for five days!?
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Articles like this are misleading and add to the confusion – previous comments are spot-on regarding the author’s failure to take lifestyle and other factors into consideration. Do you have ANY IDEA how FIT the average traditional-living Masai is? Where in this study have you factored in fitness as a variable?
It is time to revisit the paleo diet debate – what are we physiologically evolved to need – our eyes point forward, the direction of a hunter seeking its prey-aside from clovis spear points and sufficient evidence of human hunting – read Baz Edmeades’ online book on human hunting – we ARE meat eaters and hence saturated fat eaters. However, not every day, sometimes not even every week. When a successful hunt delivers meat and fat we probably didn’t eat a ‘balanced’ meal of meat, potatoes and two other veg. We probably stuffed our faces with as much meat and fat as we could fit into our bellies and then slept it off for a couple of days.
It could be no other way – there was no refrigeration and the meat would either go bad or be stolen by scavengers. Then, between hunts, what did we eat – nuts and berries (I’m being facetious) – plant matter for certain. For weeks on end. Low/no fat. Meantime we walked and ran a lot – in our quest for our next protein meal. Until the next mammoth kill, or a zebra, or something. AND no antibiotics in the meat. Time to eat what we’re truly designed for rather than distracting ourselves with dubious science. Also read Eric Edmeades’ book The Human Diet.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Yes, quite true that between kills we ate plant matter. True also that we were very much more active – which allowed us to function in good health in spite of it. And those plant foods they were/are eating are mostly not grains, either.
It’s also true that the paleo diet was very unlikely to be dependent on the exclusive killing of big game; most hunter gatherer populations had access to and ate substantial amounts of small game and/or fish, easily trapped or killed by the individual.
The peoples Dr. Mercola are citing have little access to plant foods at all, yet until their diets were violated by grains and sugars their health was exemplary.
We need animal fats and protein in our diets. Grains, in particular, are a recent addition to our diets, and as soon as they appear, historically, the health of those populations using them has suffered. Diabetes appears consistently among peoples who start using sugar excessively, and has done so historically.
Our opinions and attitudes about food and diet have been shaped and influenced by the food industry, as long as the food industry has had a lobby. And the grain lobbies have had more influence than the livestock or even the produce lobbies, though produce is clearly catching up fast.
6 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Au contraire, mon ami. People would hunt, they would then in a cold climate hang the stuff up in the back yard and take off a few slices per day. Meat would get flavorful and rancid. The French and Italians became experts at sauces to mask strong meat flavors. BUT we now have tons of wonderful sauces to take care of older meat. Sauerbrauten, “spaghetti” sauce, coq au vin–all sorts of french, italian and german sauces were created to mask the flavor of strong meat. Germans and Poles made sausages. No reason to throw away bad meat when you can spice it! I love those (dumb) people who talk about leaving out meat for a few hours (could be days, the way they did it) and ask if it is still good. Are you kidding? Make a sauce, marinade it and voila, you’re a gourmet. Try some Soprasetto meat and some of the other flavorful Italian brands. You think they do that with fresh meat? Salami is a favorite of mine and I think it has to be made properly with “old” meat to be flavorful. Ekridge is a poor substitute.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Let’s clarify. “People who live in a cold climate” are the Inuit, and what isn’t consumed immediately is frozen. If summer temps rise above freezing, it ferments. Icelanders and Greenlanders buried meat to allow it to ferment. People who lived in TEMPERATE climates (i.e. with cold winters) preserved vegetables by fermenting, pickling, or storing [root vegetables, apples] in a root cellar; meats, by salting and/or smoking, and by burying joints in the oat bin to freeze until needed; eggs, by waxing the shells; fish, by drying on racks or by salting. The only places where meat went “off” were warm places, since heat hastens deterioration. This helps explain why food from warmer parts of the globe is often highly spiced, to disguise the rotten flavor.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
For what its worth I endorse all this. I’ve junked my cholesterolist, statinist doctor and am returuning to normal yogurt, normal cheese, eggs and meat (not very much of that its too expensive). I’ve dropped muesli for breakfast, cut down on bread, started taking linseed oil, eliminated almost all sugar and lost about 1 stone in weight since my heart attack last year. My HDL is up, LDL down, triglycerides low and stable. Hip hip hooray. Thanks for your support !
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Looks like you’ve made some life-saving choices, chazzamine! My friend has The American Heart Association Cookbook–essentially they’ve removed all saturated fat from recipies and replaced it with sugar and starches. Not a good move. If that’s how the medical establishment sees it, I can see why you dropped your doctor and his statins.
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
What do you have for breakfast? I eat muesli but would like to change. I’m allergic to cow dairy.
Thanks!
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
@ Victoriaeliz – It’s well worth using Dr. Mercola’s nutritional typing and dietary recommendations to work out a useful diet.
Eggs are always good – buttered eggs are better. But there is no particularly good reason to adhere to a ‘conventional’ meal plan. Eat what seems good to you when it seems good to eat it. If people find it unconventional, well, so be it. It’s your health that’s at stake
2 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I used to love muesli! These days I often have a combination of ground flax, plus hemp and chia seeds soaked in almond milk with some berries or half a grated apple from the garden. If I feel like something savoury, it might be an egg on lightly sauteed kale. We have a friend who is a duck hunter; when we roast a duck we render off the fat and save it in a jar in the fridge, which gets used to cook with. Tons of flavour!
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
It’s amazing that medical science, and especially nutritional science can change so much over the years. And it can be so wrong, yet be embraced by conventional wisdom and then become enshrined with cult like devotees worshiping the new convention.
The demonisation of saturate fat is a prime example.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
How true! Even though I have seen a few pro-sat-fat articles in the popular press, they have failed to dispel the low-fat mentality that permeates popular culture. Egg Beaters and egg-white omelets still sell well. What a shame to insult our bodies with this excuse for food.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Nutritional ‘science’ is driven mostly by the market and the grain lobbies. We don’t know all that much about human nutrition, really, because those special interests have more or less co-opted the field.
My husband had heart failure a few years ago, and when I visited him in the hospital I had the opportunity to see what hospitals feed heart patients. What arrived on his breakfast tray was all fat free or low fat highly processed food substitutes. The only *food* on that tray was about 2 ozs of orange juice. The rest was mostly refined carbs.
We have to start *thinking* seriously and independently about what we eat. There are too many special interest groups out there telling us that they know best. A ‘balanced’ diet is the one that works for us, and should be composed of actual *food*, and eaten as close to its natural source as possible. The details are variable.
Remember the old nursery rhyme? ‘Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean …’? We are all different, and probably our genetic and cultural backgrounds have a lot to do with our different food tolerances. But the key is surely *food*, as close to its natural form as possible. If you can’t duplicate a food process (cooking, pickling, fermenting) in your kitchen, you should probably ditch that food from your diet.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
And, todays Natural News, good at exposees, very poor on nutrition, gave us the blurb that Pres. Clinton is going vegetarian for his heart health. Poor Pres Clinton has already had a bypass from his last silly, low-sat-fat diet, then prescribed by his poorly-informed personal trainer. Kudos to the No. 1 Dr Merc. for hopefully enlightening these personal trainers, with their dogma of bad fats, sat-fats, and good fats, rancid vege. oils, (plus their blind adherence to the dogma of various personal training orgs. that also requires them to preach the idiotic food groups, and food pyramids).
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
My understanding of the saturated fat issue begins witht the soy oil (polyunsaturated fat) industry. I recommend coconut oil as a source of MCT.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Are starchy foods really that bad for us? Humans have 6 to 8 times as much amylase in their saliva compared to chimpanzees which suggests that we are adapted to the starch in our diet. Chimpanzees have a low starch diet and high fruit diet. Cultures with traditionally high starch diets produce more amylase than those on a traditionally low starch diet.
Definition of starch: “Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds”
Based on this definition, starchy foods are low in fructose and they must be similar to dextrose. Sucrose is half fructose and half glucose and a lot of starchy foods are sweetened with sucrose.
I’ve seen most Asians eating rice everyday but wonder if that’s unhealthy, or if the starch consumption is a genetic requirement. My ancestors all ate white rice. Based on articles, it’s common for Asians to be mixed types. Doesn’t mixed and vegetable types benefit from moderate grain consumption?
Posted On Aug 24, 2011
I always loved reading your product description where you sell coconut oil of the secret history of coconut oil in the Products Section of this website because I too knew the truth but always would hear someone remark about how bad coconut oil was for you and knew it wasn’t true. I love the Phillipines and practice their form of martial arts (in addition to many other styles). I favor the empty hand style that comes from stick fighting. The movements are the same except you don’t have a stick!
They used to fatten the cows in farms by feeding them corn oil but after the war with the Phillipines we couldn’t get any more coconut oil so we demonized it to sell more corn oil which is a long chain oil that doesn’t spin as fast as the medium chain coconut oil so your metabolism slows down and you don’t burn as much fat!
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
can you explain why olive oil should not be heated, like what happens, I see many good cooks cook with it, I know you have the truth and I would like it spelled out abc. Thanks.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
All oils have a “Smoke point” where the oil will breakdown and take on different forms when heated beyond that smoke point and become unhealthy. One of the forms is trans fat. Anytime an oil has a “Double bond” in it’s formula, this is a weak bond that easily comes apart and allows the molecule to become a trans fat. The term trans has to do with the position of a molecule on the chain of molecules in the oil. Olive oil is a “Monounsaturated fat” that means it has ONE double bond (mono = 1). Polyunsaturated (poly = many) fats and many double bonds, like soybean, canola, cottonseed, and corn oils fall into this category, like omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids have lots of double bonds. Nature protects these oils with shells and seed coverings along with anti-oxidants. When you extract these “Poly” oils, Oxygen cause them to convert, heating causes them to convert to BAD OILS that your body cannot accept as nutritive. This makes them TOXIC to the body.
3 forms of olive oil have different smoke points: Olive oil (low acid extra virgin) 405 degrees, Virgin olive oil 410 degrees, Extra Light Olive Oil 460 degrees. Every oil contains lots of different fatty acids that give the oil different characteristics. As you can see, extra light olive oil is far better than the virgin olive oil for cooking.
Each vegetable and fruit has a “Critical temperature” where it breaks down and causes “Digestive leukocytosis” in your blood if you exceed that temperature when cooking. Your body’s blood actually physically changes as if it were being attacked by a pathogen. If you keep the cooking temperature, that includes time as a factor, this does not happen. Cabbage has a critical temperature of 192 degrees. This means that you should not exceed 192 degrees when cooking cabbage for 1/2 hour. Carrots critical temperature is 206 degrees. Apples 197 degrees.
Cooking is a great thing because it breaks down food and makes it more digestible, but excess cooking is bad.
15 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
bebig10, I like your scientific breakdown of what happens to oil that surpasses it’s rated smoke temperature, which I posted in more simplistic terms above. I fondly support many of your prior posts as well, but I think the smoke temp numbers you have on olive oil are high. As an ex sous chef at a four star restaurant, we never cooked food in oil that was smoking, not for health reasons, but for taste reasons.
Olive oil adds good flavor to food, but it was never used for any frying application except for sweating, due to it’s relatively low smoke temp. Higher tempurature frying was done with coconut, grapeseed, or avocado oil. This was based on what the exective chef chose for a particular entree. If I were to start an oil heating, and got sidetracked long enough to allow it to smoke, I had to throw it out, and start over with a new skillet.
At that time we used dip style thermometers to measure oil temperatures. 30 years later, I still cook four star meals for everyone as a hobby. I now have a fancy laser thermometer to check oil temperature. I still have not found an olive oil that can make it past 350f without smoking.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
I hope I got one. maybe it’s coming via pony express.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
What is a healthy level of saturated fats? Triglicerides? Suzanne
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I reckon if you are the right height weight and feel energetic who gives a hoot what our “numbers” are. One thing is wholly evident that is since they made blood pressure and cholestrol fraudlent poisons they continue to bring “the number down”
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
While a healthy level of saturated fat is going to vary based on the individual, a healthy level of triglycerides is one that is no more than double your HDL.
5 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
hmmm cream, hmmmm yum, man that stuff is addictive and yet i’m 180cm tall and weigh 76kgs
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
AGAIN,DR. ATKINS WAS RIGHT!!!
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Absolutely. Losing 92lbs on Atkins and feeling on top of the world right from the start of the diet, I can attest to it. Some people don’t function well on it, but I did (and do). I’m finding more and more people around me approving of Atkins or shifting ground on saturated fat, whereas years ago (2000) there was disapproval or suspicion everywhere. Still the doctors don’t get it.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
After having read the article and all of the comments thus far – wondering what Dr. Mercola believes about all of the work and case studies put forth by Dr. Esselstyn?
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I can’t speak for Dr. Mercola, but my own impression is that Dr. Esselstyn is dead wrong, and is, with perhaps the best of intentions, or perhaps just to make a buck, leading his followers down a dead end road. I suspect that he has done what the China Study did, i.e., instead of starting from the evidence and coming to a rational conclusion, the China Study and similar problematic “studies” start from a conclusion, something the researcher “feels must be true,” then look for evidence to support it and ignore evidence which does not. Such methodology is typical today and is inherently distorted and unscientific.
I’ve known many vegetarians and vegans in my life but never known one who was healthy long-range. (A vegan diet might seem good for a while, perhaps because it’s cleaning out some toxins, but long range it leads to severe health problems). However, even if you choose to be vegan, you can still follow the advice in this article and eat healthy saturated fat, i.e., organic extra virgin coconut oil.
5 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Denise Minger addressed this in her recent talk at the Ancestral Health Symposium:
In a nutshell, these vegetarian/vegan advocates do more than just recommend that people stop eating meat. In addition, they also recommend not eating processed food, refined vegetable oil, and refined carbohydrates. Yet, they are quick to give all the credit to not eating meat.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
There are plenty of healthy, vibrant vegetarians and there are plenty of unhealthy ones. But the same is true of flesh-eaters. Health has more to do with our state of mind and lack of stress than it has to do with diet.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Why don’t I have a “share” button for facebook any longer? I have a “Like” button but that is not what I want.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
The Share button plugin is no longer available as it was removed by facebook and was replaced by the Like button. The Like button acts very similar, if you click “Like” it will still get shared in your newsfeed.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
i have a dilemma. have read about all the benefits of coconut oil and would really like to use it in my cooking, as well as taking it as an aid to detoxing. I am an 0- blood type and seem to be pretty true to type, according to the blood type diet. it says that my blood type is highly allergic to coconut. i get a tightening of the throat when i eat things like coconut curries. is there any way around this, so i can reap the benefits?
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I’d be very cautious if you have that reaction to coconut. Try using butter or ghee in your cooking instead. Drinking raw milk can give you many of the same beneficial nutrients as eating coconut.
2 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
ariboni, there is no validity to d’Adamo’s “blood type” diet. You can search this site for details. Most people do feel better on it simply because they are advised to limit grains and sugar. Other than that, it’s baseless. Which makes me wonder: is your reaction to coconut the result of being set up to expect that? If you can be persuaded to disregard the blood type advice, you might experiment with coconut in small quantities and see how you react.
9 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Dr. D’Adamo’s book says lots of things that aren’t true. If you want to know which foods are harmful for each blood type, there’s a chapter devoted to it in Conscious Eating by Dr. Gabriel Cousens.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
aariboni, I don’t think your coconut problem has anything to do with your blood type. I am also an “O” type but my body loves coconut oil.
I use 2 TB in my daily hot chocolate and use it in cooking. I’ve lost about 100 lbs over the last 11 years since I started changing my diet to the protein type. I’ve lost all the cravings I used to have for sweets and my appetite is much less than it used to be. I think my daily treat helps to satisfy my body. I use stevia for sweetening and add heavy cream to the cup. I mix the organic cocoa powder with the coconut oil and it emulsifies it so when I add boiling water it mixes well.
My skin and hair are nicer now at age 65 (and sunning 2-3X a week) than when I was really young. I use nothing on my skin but coconut oil after our evening spa about every other day.
5 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Is regular store bought butter still better than hydrogenated margarines? I have no butter made from raw organic grass fed milk available ….
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
God yes Emmy, margarines are death… don’t eat them!! If you con’t have access to good butter, order organic extra virgin coconut oil online, and use it in cooking. It’s a very healthy saturated fat, as good for you as butter.
8 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Try Organic Valley Pasture Butter (green package) or Kerry Gold Butter. I believe Kerry Gold, which is from Ireland, is from grass fed cows. Both are very good if you can not obtain raw butter.
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
If you have no access to raw butter, then store bought is way better than margarine which is one molecule away from plastic. Try to find butter in alluminum wrap, because the wax wrapped butter probably has Bisphenol-A coating on it. However, do not slice an alluminum wrapped butter with the wrapper still on it. Unwrap, then guesstimate the measurement. Sorry, I know it’s a pain.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I absolutely love this topic. There isn’t anything I can add that Dr. Mercola or other posters already haven’t. All I will say is that when all else fails, look to human physiology. There are certain things our bodies need to be healthy. Saturated fat is absolutely one of those things. It’s really that simple. For those who “question” this topic, how much more proof do you need?
“Facts don’t cease to exist because they are ignored.” — Aldous Huxley
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I agree with the science and recent research about fats. What I don’t get is the rationale that since there were fewer cartilogists back in the day, there must have been fewer heart problems. I do not see how one can make that correlation. There were NO realtors 100 years ago. Does that mean there was less real estate traded? NO. It only means that the current, modern field was not defined and organized and they did not keep good stats, but it does not mean it wasn’t needed. When I study my genegolgy, my grandfather, (one of the last of the true Kansas pioneers) who never ate processed foods, died of a heart attack in 1971. Same as all of the members of his linage for 100s of years. They all lived to be 84. That seems to be the magic age of all of my linage, for several hundred years, and they all have died of heart desease. Funny, my father, who ate a terrible diet, smoked 3 packs a day and was a heavy drinker also made it to 84 before his heart failed. Maybe if he had lived a healthier life he would have made it longer, but I wonder if there are so many variables that it is hard to determine true relitivity, and if the lack of true, comparative data to go back in time makes this too tough to call. I think that the current trend to research the genetics and geneology should be brought into this debate.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
With all due respect, your father was the EXCEPTION to the rule. Five out of six people die from heart disease and cancer in the U.S. The problem is getting worse, not better. As far as the genetic argument… predispositions are still just predispositions. Our lifestyle decisions “pull the genetic trigger.”
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Hey Dr. Mercola, I totally agree with you on everything in this article. I was using avocados in place of mayo or dressing for sandwiches and wraps until the grocery stores bumped them up to $2.50 EACH! I thought they were expensive at $1.79, which is what they were just a month or so ago. I loved having them around but I can’t really justify their price. If money weren’t an issue, sure, I’d still buy them. But we’re a family of 5 living on 50K a year.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Okay, I just wanted to say right on Dr. Mercola! This is what I teach people every day! I did just want to make a comment about Canola oil mentioned in the list of healthy oils…most of us in the health community believe Canola oil to be a GMO product. It is “bred” from the rapeseed plant which is toxic to humans.
My mom, who never had a cholesterol problem, decided to switch to Canola as a preventative. Her cholesterol shot out the roof. She removed it and went back to Olive oil and her cholesterol dropped.
Please spread the word about Canola oil and ask those making “organic” foods to remove it from their products.
Thank you Dr. Mercola!
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
The article above makes reference to decreasing Canola oil consumption as most Canola crops in the U.S. are gentically altered. Here is another link to a recent article warning of the dangers of Canola oil.
articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/05/05/the-dirty-secre..
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Canola oil is mostly hydrogenated anyway. The fact that it’s GM just makes it that much worse.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
@ Mercola.com Tony R, Please remember that this site has many many readers who do not live in the US. Those of us who are fortunate enough to live in countries where crops are not genetically altered may take you to task over your reference, but thanks for your contribution.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Please Dr Mercola. Support this campaign to stop the FDA from banning all supplements.
http://www.***/033482_FDA_dietary_supplements.html
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I am, unfortunately, allergic to dairy. I totally subscribe to coconut for EFA’s. Does anyone know of ANY butter substitute that does not have soy? I eat only organic, and have searched high and low, and have only found Earth Balance Organic Whipped Buttery Spread, which contains soy & other veg. oils. Also, where can I find butter made from raw milk? I live in GA, and so far have not found raw milk or any byproducts thereof….any suggestions?
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
We can decide to live any lifestyle, but doesn’t change the fact your body cannot do well if the nutrition is lacking. Eating meat is not hateful when you care/appreciate the animal it came from. Most people who are overweight or remain sick can’t hear their bodies. We can survive on very little and live very healthy lives if we could listen (sense) and provide our needs. Variability is key! Nutrition is everywhere; sun, air, relationships, and food/water. However, consuming these things doesn’t mean your body knows how to absorb and use em. It takes TIME to build the mind/body bridge-trust when there isn’t one. Yes quality nutrition (food) can be expensive, but truth is we don’t really need that much. Thank you Dr. Mercola for providing an avenue of information.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Perhaps one would have to go back to the drawing board on this as all ancient cultures’ diets were based on grain and this holds true today for most cultures where obesity hasn’t been a problem. Wouldn’t the path lead to a modern way of life in which we are exposed to a host of chemical additives to food etc. and hence a truly confused endochrine system?
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Since the advent of agriculture occured somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 years B.P., it can hardly be classified as “ancient”-at least by the timetable for which modern anatomical human beings have existed on the planet-some 15-20 times as long. Agricultural societies represent about 5-10% of the history of humanity, as we know it. The birth of agriculture occured as a survival mechanism, not because it was more convenient or effective than hunting and gathering. It occured in part because hunting and gathering was no longer sustainable in the fertile cresent and much of the old world.
Confused endochrine systems are likely more of a result of straying from the practices of our hunting and gathering ancestors-along with the stresses that occur with living in modern civilization.
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I just sent this to my dad, with the comment “Let them eat steak!”
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I wish you would put a print button on your article. My husband will not read anything on the computer and I like to share with him. I can pring the page but his eye sight at 78 is not as good as it used to be and I like to share such articles to remind him that every time he starts eating too much bread, potatoes, pastas and sweets, his cholesteral goes up and when he comes back down to 1/3 calories from good protein, 1/3 calories from good fats including some saturated ones and 1/3 calories from low glycemic veggies and fruits ( fruit is the desert in our house ) and even in our 70s our blood pressure is good and our cholesterol tests and good and we take no medicine to keep them that way.
Pat
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I would say that eating saturated fat is good for you if it wasn’t for the fact that almoast animals are fed a GMO diet and many unhealthy chemicals including RBST hormones. These chemicals and hormones reside in the meat and the fat of the animal. If we know the animal has been fed properly and pasteured and had good animal husbandry then their fat is OK. The fat of our body is where many of the chemicals of today’s environment are stored and walled off so they don’t kill us outright. Getting the body to give up that fat is where the problem lies. Dieting often brings on sickness as the toxins and chemicals are freed up. Detox and body cleansing should precede diets and be done from time to time during during a diet.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Dr. Mercola is recommending grassfed, pasture raised animal protein/fat. That will severly limit your exposure to the GMOs.
Wish we could at least get those labeled!
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I wonder how Bill Clinton will do now that he is all vegan/vegetarian and no-fat intake. There was a whole show on CNN about his switch this past weekend. Frankly, I don’t think he looks all that healthy.
Are there human bodies that will do alright with that type of diet? Am I wrong in thinking that our bodies need these fats? I was vegetarian for a few years and careful of what I was eating, making sure to combine everything just so and I gotta tell ya, it was the least healthy period of my life.
Now it’s grass-fed meats, pretty much zero grains, gluten-free, fresh organic eggs and plenty of veggies for me. At 45, I’m feeling and working out better than I ever have. Oh yes, and plenty of coconut oil, too. The longer I am eating like this, the less I crave any of the stuff that left me feeling less-than-optimal.
Thanks for all your contributions to the discussions, everyone!!
Grateful,
Garret
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Funny you should ask – I’ve been watching this push for a vegan diet for some years now, and found it interesting that the vegan population seems to be stabilized at a little under 2% of the population (according to the Vegetarian Times)globally.
So .. if this diet is so wonderful and popular, why hasn’t that statistic grown?
If you watch the forums and read the comments, it would seem that people enthusiastically (even zealously) adopt the diet, but after a few years, sometimes less, their health fails in some way and they are forced to abandon it. No doubt many adopt a lacto-vegetarian diet, or lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, but some seem forced to accept the necessity of at least some meat to maintain their health.
I read somewhere recently that about a third of the population does very well on a vegetarian diet, a third actively requires a substantial portion of their diet to be animal protein/fat, and the other third are pretty flexible. But it would appear that only a very tiny portion of the population can actually maintain good health on a vegan diet.
The difference, for those who don’t know it, is that a vegan diet includes NO animal protein of any sort whatever, whereas vegetarian diets can include just about anything, including in some cases even fish and seafood, except actual meat.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Thank you Dr Mercola for your articles and for facilitating these discussions For me balance is the key, some is good does not mean more is better. I read many opposing views on this topic by highly educated individuals. Good fats contribute significantly to mental health and the obsession with low fat seems to contribute greatly to depression.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
So glad I stopped eating fake food before it could damage me to point of no return, its been at least 10 years now.
I read somewhere that eating some nuts raw could be very damaging to our digestive track because of some kind of protective enzyme…anyone know what that is. I didn’t really understand it all.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
You must soak nuts in order to release the enzyme inhibitors. I make my own almond milk and I soak the almonds overnight to release the enzyme inhibitors.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
It is important to realise that not all saturated fat is equally good for you. For example saturated fat from grass-fed animals is high in health promoting CLA.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Hydrogenated Oils: How Bad Are They for Us?
Ever since food processing manufacturers realized they could extend the use of many vegetable oils by injecting hydrogen into them, the birth of hydrogenation was born.
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5979182/hydrogenated_oils_how_bad_ar..
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
So it turns out Woody Allen might not just be a genius but also a futurologist. Someone now simply needs to prove that carrots are bad for you.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Reply to TheLimit, Ronnie Cummins at organicconsumers.org and Millions against Monsanto is working hard on World Food Day to get labelling on GMO’s. If you have time check out his essays etc.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Hello,
please help me to understand this grain question. I got it that it is not good to eat white flour and bred bought in regular store but what about home made brown rice bread (eggs, brown rice, water, celtic sea salt) or Ezekiel 4:9 spelt bread.
And what about grains like kamut, spelt, barley, buckwheat, flex, millet, oats, rye to cook these and eat or flours made from these. Can I eat or I can’t? How much is it okay to eat per day? I kind of need these I cannot live on vegetables and fruits even if I mix it with meat…
pls help me to understand this
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Hi Bicskey. If you do not have type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance, then it’s probably fine to eat some whole grains. However, there are some people (Protein types) who thrive on mostly protein, fat and vegetables, who don’t do well with grains in their diet at all. From your comment that you need these grains and cannot live on just vegetables, fruits and meat: did you say that because you feel your best when you have some whole grain in your diet? If you feel best when you eat grains, then they are probably fine for you.
Wheat seems to cause problems for many, so I’d avoid whole wheat. Kamut and spelt are good alternatives if you’re not sensitive to gluten. Flax is a seed and very low carb. Buckwheat, millet, oats are probably your best bets as they are gluten free and have a low ‘glycemic index’, that keeps blood sugar stable.
Personally, I feel my best when I eat about 3 servings of grain per day–I eat buckwheat, quinoa, oats and occasionally spelt, kamut and Ezekial Bread. I also eat flax but don’t count it as a grain.
1 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I suggest you try the grains you enjoy a little at a time. Keep a diary of how you feel every day including stomach issues, elimination changes, sleep changes, energy levels, head issues(headaches,fogginess,alertness), emotions, attitudes, etc. After a month you should be able to tell how they will affect you and wheather you want to stay clear of them, increase them or just eat occasionally. Moderation is always in style. Listen to your body.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
Hi live4surf ,
thank you very much. I have issues with the amount per day. What is a serving? And when someone says one cup millet is it when it’s cooked or before?
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I have a couple of questions.
Are there both good and bad saturated fats? Saturated fat from pasturized milk and yogurt made from pasturized milk is bad for you, right, because it will raise your cholesterol; but if the saturated fat comes from raw unpasturized grass fed milk, then it is good for you?
Raw milk is illegal and totally unobtainable in Delaware. So I am best off using full fat milk and yogut but in small amounts — right? If I drank a lot of full fat pastruzied milk and full fat yogurt it would raise my cholesterol wouldn’t it?
How many organic eggs per weeks should I limit myself to? I eat one egg every other day. I would eat more, but I thought that it would be bad for my cholesterol to eat more eggs than that?
P.S. I just had bloodwork done a week ago. My results were ideal in evey single catagory, by both Dr. Mercola’s target goals and conventional targets. (There is a range where they overlap.) I read Mercola’s article on how to read the numbers on blood tests, divide some numbers by others etc, and I was ideal by all those standards, too, not just by my conventinal doctors’. So I guess that I’m doing things pretty well. However, my financial situation has gotten very bad and I have to eat a little cheaper now. Eggs are inexpensive. If I can eat more I will but not if it is bad for me.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I’ll say it again, loud and clear: “Ethical killing” of mammals = moral relativism. You can say anything you like to the contrary, but I know in my heart and soul that it is wrong to kill and eat our own kind.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
A few minutes after reading this article, I read news at Alliance for Human Research Protection and came across Ancel Keys again.
U of Minnesota Officials Have No Shame!
“Research record of U. of Minnesota:
” A University of Minnesota study in the late 1940s injected 11 public service employee volunteers with malaria, then starved them for five days. Some were also subjected to hard labor, and those men lost an average of 14 pounds. They were treated for malarial fevers with quinine sulfate. One of the authors was Ancel Keys, a noted dietary scientist who developed K-rations for the military and the Mediterranean diet for the public.”
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Thank God for people like Mercola and his web site. His web site literally saved my life from my deteriorating health. Try telling or showing this article to a vegetarian or any person that does not eat meat. I don’t even try anymore, as it’s a complete waste of time. My wife and I just hang out in America and partake in recreational sports like there is no tomorrow and watch as everyone else our age go to pot. Such a shame. Oh well, we will just kept rockin’ on!
Thanks Dr. Mercola Ps How’s your tennis game coming along?
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
Many obese people have malnutrition. Amazing isn’t it? They don’t eat enough quality fat so their brains keeps desiring food. And they keep eating the wrong items. This is why I included a lot of polyunsaturated quality fat in my signature Healing Salad recipe (available free on my website). What is your favorite way of eating quality fat?
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
When I went on a low-almost no carb diet about 6-7 years ago (for about 5-6 months)I got down to a size 4. I did this to BREAK the sugar addiction as I heard suggested by a specialist I saw on TBN. I had blood tests done at the beginning and 4 months later. My bad cholesterol went down about 10 points and my good cholesterol went up about 40 points (eating salmon, cheese, eggs and meat lots). My glucose/insulin was perfect. My experience supports the claims that it is carbs and not fats that are dangerous to one’s health.
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
Yes, I feel it is morally wrong to eat meat today, when we have so many protein alternatives. I do not follow the Bible for my daily food list. If you are a “dissenter,” why are you so traditional/patriarchal in your point of view? In any case, I totally agree with the folks here who feel that the things that are making us sick have less to do with the food we eat than the lifestyle we lead, the stress we carry and lack of supportive community. As for the person who stated that to stop eating meat would incur “severe health problems,”: where is the data to support this? This is another of those silly “Chicken Little” pronouncements that clog the media and which people parrot back at one another. I am living proof that you can lose weight and be much healthier when you stop eating meat/chicken/most dairy. I did it and lost a hundred pounds and kept it off (ten years) and have more energy than ever. To the person who asked why there are not more vegetarians and why most people still eat meat: the meat/poultry industry is a huge, profitable business, and those who profit from it will keep cramming it down our throats as long as we follow along doing what they say is best for us, i.e., best for THEM. Also, I am convinced that the chemicals/additives in meat carry addictive bi-products. It’s not easy giving up meat. Why? Because it’s addictive. One I stopped, however, I couldn’t go back. Eating flesh? Ugh.
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
I totally agree with everything in the article. My question is how do the Italians (was just in Italy this summer) stay so thin and eat all the pasta they do? I did notice they do not eat bread, cookies, cakes, pies like we do here, but they sure eat pasta and risotto.
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
I have a question.
In an earlier article today Dr. Mercola mentioned that Coconut Oil can RAISE cholestrol levels.
However, here he suggests using Coconut Oil to cook with as a healthy fat.
I already have a little elevated cholestrol levels so I’m confused if I should use Coconut Oil.
Can anyone help me out with this? Dr. Mercola?
Posted On Sep 02, 2011
THE TIME HAS COME!!
The Green PolkaDot Box™ (“GPDB”) is making final preparations to launch a fresh-harvested, organic produce program for its Members who wish to participate. The program will be called Harvest to Home™. In the short days ahead you will begin to see the appearance of fruit and vegetable images with tentative pricing and detailed descriptions on this website. In addition, you will see the gradual appearance of Farm Brand pages to give you an insider’s look at the background and sustainable farming practices of the Farms and Farmers from whom we will be buying our fresh-harvested produce, directly.
When we open for business fresh-harvested, organic produce deliveries, including all popular and many exotic varieties of fresh organic fruits and vegetables, will originate in the farm belts of America beginning in the western United States, then moving across central and southern states; until every geographic area in which members reside can be serviced with “locally grown” produce within 24 to 48 hours from the moment it is picked. It will take several months AFTER we launch to be able to span the entire country and provide this wonderful program. We understand the importance of Harvest to Home™–how much it will benefit our members’ lives. Accordingly, we will work with great urgency to make Harvest to Home™ available to all members as quickly as possible.
To find out more about green polka dot box,paste this link: www.greenpolkadotbox.com/…/5388
GPDB Management has sourcing for many produce varieties already in place–within long established, responsible growers–for delivery to most of the western United States: from California to the Rockies. Plans are underway to establish similar relationships with many other organic growers so that members across the entire country will benefit from this program.
Posted On Sep 03, 2011
The article states that Raw Nuts are a healthy source of fat. From my understanding raw nuts are very high in phytic acid, which is actually an anti-nutrient. Should we be eating raw nuts or not?
Posted On Sep 03, 2011
Eating raw milk grass fed butter is mentioned in this article. Does this mean that the organic pasterized butter will be harmful to the body and act like margerine?
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Why are fish and milk not in the healthy fats list? These are consumed by the various tribes. I also don’t see krill oil, especially pill form, in the tribe list. If krill oil is so important, why is there not a natural source easily obtained through diet rather than pill form? Seems like a money making scam to me.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Perhaps if we all had a “pristine” river in our backyard loaded with Pacific salmon, we wouldn’t be looking for other methods to suppliment our need for the 3′s.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Dr. Mercola regularly recommends both fish and milk in our diets. The more you read him, the more interesting he gets. He offers good links to supporting research, which should also be read.
Be well.
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
to whom commented on my comment… cannot find link to answer personally..so sorry about that..
you said that if one, like me, can survive on a vegan diet… great for me… but why would you be any different. we are all human beings aren’t we? what makes other people, you, different? i heard a great speech the other day and the point of it was this.
animals get their nutrients from their food, grass, corn or what ever they’re fed… fish get their protein, omega 3 DHA, GLA etc from the algae that eat. so eat from the source!…. stop filtering your nutrients through some poor animal! i thought it made great sense. eating animals seems to be more of a convenience that a necessity. i know that if one switches from an animal based diet to a plant based one… research and effort have to be made. but this is obtainable to all…. esp. of you are buying organic meat, veg etc…. if we all moved to a plant based diet…. a more sustainable diet…. we’d not be complaining about overpopulation, or starvation…. they’d be enough for all. it doesn’t seem logical that the earth cannot provide for us all.
i am glad to hear your thoughts…..
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Why would you assume that what works for you will work for everybody?
It absolutely does not work for me; I appear to fall into the third of the population who must have animal protein/fat in my diet to function. I don’t assume that since that’s true for me it must be true for you.
It’s a regrettable fallacy that a vegan world would be free of overpopulation and hunger – unless you are factoring in the huge death rates which would result.
We don’t have enough land to feed the population on grain, even if it would be healthy for all. The fact that most livestock in the Western world today is fed on grain is irrelevant; livestock should mostly be fed on grasses and other greenstuffs, apart from those omnivorous birds and animals (like hogs and chickens), which can live well on just about anything organic.
Livestock can be raised on ground which can produce no other crop at all, another factor which vegans don’t seem to grasp. Desert peoples who can raise little grain or produce can and do produce sheep, goats and chickens. Animal protein is a much more efficient food than grains, so goes farther.
It is not possible to produce a sustainable diet with no livestock production at all. Even if you accept that synthetic petroleum based fertilizers (not to mention the necessary chemical pesticides and herbicides) are in any way good for the soil – which they certainly are not – it will become increasingly more expensive to produce them as oil sources continue to be depleted. Human sewage is probably not a viable alternative for most people.
The value to the world of the vegan diet is a myth, perpetrated by extremists. It sounds nice, until you examine the thing in more depth.
Eat the diet which works for you, but please don’t pretend that it is a sound diet for everyone. Many of us just plain couldn’t live on it, and that includes a substantial number of people who have tried and been forced to a more conventional diet to maintain their health.
Blessed be
8 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
“Ethical” killing of mammals is a form of moral relativism.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Ethical killing of any sort is part of nature. Carrots do not want to be pulled out of the ground and eaten any more than a pig wants to be killed for meat. Pigs squeal when in danger, but carrots are voiceless. Does that make it more right to eat carrots? All the life forms on this planet have to eat or be eaten. It’s just the way it is. Keep in mind that life is not easy in the natural environment either. An animal is constantly on the edge of finding foor or avoiding being eaten. Having said that, let’s raise our food animals in an ethical and humane fashion where they can live lives as close to natural as possible. That is in keeping with the design of the planet.
6 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
It seems to me that the reason humans so easily justify slaughtering pigs, cows, deer, horses, etc.,etc. is because these creatures are less intelligent and easy to prey upon. So, is it so different to eat your neighbor for dinner than it is to eat a pig (who’s DNA is remarkably similar to humans)? Especially if your neighbor is not the sharpest blade in the drawer. Really, what is the difference? Personally, I don’t see a difference.
I am quick to admit that diet is important but it is certainly not the ‘end all’ when it comes to radiant health, and I have been vegetarian for over 35 years. More important than what we eat is a sense of belonging and feeling validated by community. Please refer to Lynn McTaggert’s excellent new book, THE BOND. In it she cites a number of longevity studies. And what the research shows is that those who feel part of a close-knit social network by far out-live those who feel isolated. So, when we look at groups of people such as the Inuits, Massai, and Japanese, I think we have to consider more than their diet and high fat consumption in regards to health. We should be looking at the big picture because humans are incredibly complex beings, and it seems that feeling connection with and compassion for all life is the most important source of health.
A vegetarian can be horribly unhealthy. But, perhaps they were unhealthy as a carnivore and decided to become a vegetarian. Perhaps they avoid animal foods but pig-out on sugary, processed, carbs (carbivore). Or perhaps they’re depressed, angry individuals, and feel cut off from society. In which case their energy and immune system is depressed. But is it the lack of animal flesh in their diet that is the source of their ennui? If it was, then a lot more carnivores would be healthy. But hospitals are overflowing with ill meat eaters. Health and happiness comes from love and compassion for ourselves and all ‘others’ on this wonderful planet.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
i understand that fat is good, like fat form avocado and nuts etc… but animal fat? after watching forks over knives the evidence is quite clear that a plant based diet is far healthier… in fact in the documentary they say that animal protein/fat IS the cause of heart disease. perhaps people suffered less from obesity and heart disease 100 years ago because people, most people, only ate meat once a week! it was simply too expensive until the fifties when factory farming produced tons of meat to the point that we (not me i might add) can eat meat for breakfast lunch and dinner, and most people do! i also commented on an article about your promotion of whey protein…. rather than hemp, which is far superior…. with omega 3, protein, iron, all the amino acids etc….. i never received a response. i am usually a big fan of yourself but i find your promotion of animal foods suspicious…
Regards, Angela, Vancouver, Canada
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Angela, some of us need animal protein. If you can survive on a vegetarian or vegan diet, lucky you. But for a lot of us, animal protein (including fish) is vital to our emotional and physical well-being. I think Dr. M. is trying to say that meat is an important part of our diet, providing it’s organic! And you’re right – we don’t need it every single day. But many of us do need it.
2 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
The trick is to balance your omega 3 and 6 according to the article. For most people that means dumping the prepackaged and overly processed foods. Good luck.
1 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
What about the link between saturated fats and colon cancer, the number one cancer in the U.S. for men, except lung cancer. Vegetarians rarely get colon cancer. I recommend the book, “The China Study” for the last word on all this.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
There is no correlation between colon cancer and eating meat according to the data from The China Study.
rawfoodsos.com/2010/06/01/a-closer-look-at-the-china-study-meat-and-di..
2 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Omaha — you need to read more in this site; The China Study has been roundly debunked (www.proteinpower.com/drmike/cancer/the-china-study-vs-the-china-study ). Statistics relating to vegetarianism, while often skewed, are more associated with the fact that these diets are low in processed foods rather than being low in meat and animal products. Also, many vegetarians will still eat eggs and dairy. Finally, few studies ever differentiate between conventional meat and processed animal products vs. natural meats and animal products.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
MikeM – it’s your last sentence that highlights the biggest problem with studies that reveal a so-called vegetarian benefit. Investigations roll hot dogs, lunch meat, Spam, etc. into the category of “meat”. These items (processed meat) make up a large part of the “meat” consumed in the US. The preservatives, colorings, flavorings, etc. which they contain are the problem even before considering the quality of the animal flesh that goes into them.
12 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
I am fairly certain the fats concerned are the faux saturates or refined/trans fats, although the fats from meat, dairy and eggs from conventionally raised and fed creatures may contain hormones and toxins injurious to health.
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Omaha, Dr. Campbell’s figures are constantly being checked, and it is too true that some of his conclusions are not well-supported by his own data, and he simply doesn’t talk about things that might upset his hypothesis – for example, he doesn’t mention anywhere in his book that the Chinese have the highest rate of stomach cancer in the world. Analyses of his data finger wheat, not meat, as the single dietary factor most highly correlated with heart disease.
rawfoodsos.com/…/final-china-study-response-html
rawfoodsos.com/2011/07/31/one-year-later-the-china-study-revisited-and..
rawfoodsos.com/2010/12/15/new-china-study-links-wheat-with-weight-gai/
rawfoodsos.com/2010/09/02/the-china-study-wheat-and-heart-disease-oh-m..
Campbell’s responses to critics of his work certainly lack scientific objectivity. His usual tactic is to attack his critic’s character and dismiss the points under consideration; the “I have sold X copies of this book, so you are a nitwit if you dare to disagree with me.” In debate with Loren Cordain, Campbell came up with opinions; he brought no evidence at all to support his claims. This is very bad science indeed, and even an English paper without support would get a big fat F even at community college level.
www.paleoplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/proteindebatecordaincampb..
Note also that Campbell’s early papers described how lab rats got just as much cancer when fed diets with a complete amino acid profile derived from plants as from protein. Note also that the protein in the lab rat diet is purified casein. Any time a protein is extracted and purified, that’s enough to make it carcinogenic. Note also that Campbell’s rats are a strain specifically bred and engineered to be highly susceptible to cancer, and they are injected, sometimes daily, with highly carcinogenic aflatoxin.
12 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Was It really saturated fats that caused it, or lack of adding healthy green leafy veg to ones diet?
6 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Vegetarians rarely get colon cancer because their diets lack saturated fat?
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Actually, there are very few studies done on vegetarians, and most of them are conflicting. Part of this is due to the varying definitions for a “vegetarian” where some eat fish and chicken, some fish only, and some nothing with a face. Others do not eat dairy. One thing we do know is the dirty little secrets of low fat diets is it results in much higher rates of colon cancer, presumably because fat and mucous is the transporter for waste out of the bowels.
What vegetarians did much better on, cancer wise, is blood cancers where they were about 50% better. But experts warn that the studies could still be conflicting.
Campbell did his studies in Asia and not in the US where our toxins levels in our food supply is presumably much higher. Further, he restricted the study to primarily rural areas, and we know that the few toxins in the environment, the fewer cancers.
But the Amish recently beat out everyone in that they had 70 to 80% fewer cancers of 8 different types and this was not expected due to their limited gene pool. Obviously keeping in line with what Mother Nature wants–fresh air, sunshine, back to basics–does have its rewards.
4 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
This is so ridiculous, I can’t even believe it. Citing the Masai, et al and their diet as proof of the health values of eating a primarily animal protein diet does not take into account their overall lifestyle, body type, and the fact that those groups are not consuming animals pumped full of growth hormones, antibiotics and steroids.
The author fails to mention the environmental effects of his recommendations as well. We must take into account the consequences of our food choices. While we all want good health, it must not come at the expense of the environment. The production of palm oil is one of the reasons behind the destruction of rainforest, as is cattle industry. Animal-based proteins come from animals suffering in extremely inhumane conditions. I will not put that kind of negative energy into my body. Food is not only nutrition vs. chemicals, there is also an inherent energetic property created in its production. Why promote eating things that are so destructive environmentally, ethically and morally?
I am unsubscribing from this e-newsletter.
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
If we look exclusively at conventional farming practices from giant feed lots, then yes, your arguments are spot on. However, you’re being shortsighted and missing the point entirely of what Dr. Mercola has espoused on this website. He has consistently warned against eating conventional food, particularly meat and animal products. Also, it IS possible to produce meat that is both humane and sustainable:www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/sep/06/meat-production-veganism-..
11 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Saya- you are over-reacting. I was going to post the point about different lifestyles you brought up. I don’t eat meat [and only a little fish] and understand your ire on the topic. The health benefits of being aware of false [biased] research, funding being withdrawn and suppressed info are crucial to us all. Dr.M is not perfect, who is, but does care about health and alternative therapies for ‘the many’ out here. You probably won’t read this- but others similarly minded will take note and protect their health by keeping up to date in what has become a contentious minefield! We need all the help we can get tbh.
PS:On the cholesterol issue and tissue repair- I’ve read that the repair of artery walls by this routine needs substantial Vitamin C, to work effectively. I can’t give link, but it was a persuasive point that was made. Without VitC more inflammation is created by the type of deposits made.I determined to remember this.
6 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
“When a man is honest and he hears the truth, he embraces the truth or he ceases to be honest.”
If you cannot realize the truth when you see it, that is very sad. Negative energy comes from most of the typical fruits and vegetables you are consuming when grown in America today. Unless you know the farmer and how he is growing his or her food, you cannot possibly know what kind of energy you are getting from those foodstuffs. Animals that eat grass and are treated humanely contribute to a very healthy environment. You are absolutely right in your statement about animals being treated badly. I agree with that and I believe most people on this forum will also.
I suggest you take a BRIX meter and look at the nutritive value of what you are eating and I think you will soon realize the fruits and vegetables are very poor quality in America today. When a cow eats grass in a large field that has not been sprayed or polluted with chemicals, they process plants far better than humans. Don’t believe that, just eat what they do and see how well you survive. My uncle used to work for Safeway years (in the 1950′s) ago and would bring home (2) 55 gal. drums of vegetable cuttings that smelled so bad from spoilage that I couldn’t get near it. The cows ate grass on the farm and this garbage. They were incredibly healthy!
Humans make hydrochloric acid in their stomachs, but cows do not! Cows have a small gland that produces HCL just before the small intestine to sanitize, but not to digest cellulose (plant food). Humans, like all meat eating animals, produce HCL in our stomachs. We are designed to eat meat, but not GRAIN FED ANIMAL meat!
Eating animals that are raised healthy is NOT NEGATIVE ENERGY! That is a myth and certainly not provable by any standard. In fact, people who eat meat are stronger, live longer, and are more free of disease. Look at the world statistics. Macau, China is proof positive of this. 84.4 years ave. life expectancy. Longest in world.
22 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Sayarma, is it “moral” to make yourself and your children sick by feeding them a diet that will create long term health problems?
Of course one should not eat meat pumped full of growth hormones, antibiotics and steroids. If you’re read Mercola’s site in the past, you know that he’d never advocae eating junk like that. But you don’t have to choose between putrid, polluted animal products and healthy plant based food products. You can eat both healthy plant based food products and healthy animal based food products.
Factory farms that destroy the environment are horrific, and destruction of the environment is horrific, as you say. But there are ways to eat ethically and still eat some animal products and saturated fats. For example, if you’re strictly against killing and eating animals, you can still eat eggs to get your saturated fats and animal proteins. And even if you’re a strict vegan, you can still eat coconut oil for saturated fat.
Anyway, I guess you’re moving on to other horizons, so I’ll wish you luck, but I hope you will try to keep an open mind.
16 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Grass farming, where the grass crop is converted to human foods, can be extremely beneficial to the environment, keeping soils covered, improving soil and water quality, and increasing biodiversity. The legendary fertility of the prairies was derived from the rich grass sward grazed by enormous numbers of animals, along with the entire guild of commensals. Nothing cruel about such a life!
19 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Sayarma, you probably won’t read this since you are going to unsubscribe to this newsletter, but I wonder, if your worried about the impact of our eating habits on the environment, how do you feel about monsanto.
6 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
True Suzubick, Pasture sequesters more carbon than trees and rebuilds soils.
3 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
How negative was the evergy of your ancestors who ate meat? Your genes exist because yor ancestor ate meat, how do you live with that?
It is not fair to expect Dr. Mercola to address every possible aspect of variables and protect everyone’s “feelings” in a two paragraph comment. Thanks for being open minded.
We are all unique, just like everyone else.
5 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
What many indigenous, close to nature tribal peoples do after they kill an animal for food, is they thank God/dess and also the animal for what it has done. I think that takes care of any negative energy.
0 Points
Posted On Sep 01, 2011
Morally wrong? Read your bible and see the references to meat eating. Do you live in San Francisco by any chance? But hey I’m a dissenter….lololollolololol I love it!!
4 Points
Tags: Health -
August 24th, 2011Health and Wellness
Imagine that you had won the following prize in a contest:
Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400.00 in your private account for your use.
However,this prize has rules, just as any game has certain rules.
The first set of rules would be:
Everything that you didn’t spend during each day would be taken away from you.
You may not simply transfer money into some other account.
You may only spend it.
Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400.00 for that day.
The second set of rules:
The bank can end the game without warning; at any time it can say, “It’s over, the game is over!” It can close the account and you will not receive a new one.
What would you personally do?
You would buy anything and everything you wanted, right?
Not only for yourself, but for all people you love, right?
Even for people you don’t know, because you couldn’t possibly spend it all on yourself, right?
You would try to spend every cent, use it all, right?
ACTUALLY This GAME is REALITY!
Each of us is in possession of such a magical bank. We just can’t seem to see it.
The MAGICAL BANK is TIME!
Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life, and when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us.
What we haven’t lived up that day is forever lost.
Yesterday is forever gone.
Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time . . . WITHOUT WARNING.
SO, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds?
Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars.
Think about that and always think of this:
Enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.
So take care of yourself, be happy, love deeply and enjoy life!
Start spending.
-
March 4th, 2011Current Affairs, Entertainment, Health and Wellness
I used to believe that the Special Olympics were never televised because it would constitute exploitation of the mentally and physically disabled. I have since been informed by my more cynical friends that the Special Olympics are not televised because nobody would watch and the television networks couldn’t sell advertising and, thereby, make money through such exploitation.
I now certainly believe my cynical friends . . . because, obviously, the television networks will not hesitate one bit to exploit the mentally ill. Nor will the newspapers, Twitter, The Guinness Book of World Records, TMZ, People Magazine, or anyone else who can make a buck or promote themselves by exploiting someone who is most certainly suffering from mental illness.
Charlie Sheen needs help . . . he doesn’t need to be used by every television network, magazine, scandal sheet, etc. in order to increase viewership, circulation and profits. He doesn’t need the whole world shaking their heads and laughing at him . . . he is an ill man, not a “freak show”.
I’m no expert in the areas of addiction, mental illness, etc. . . but, I do recognize a very sick individual when I see Charlie Sheen being “interviewed”. And, no, I don’t have any answers . . . I don’t know how to get the help that the man needs . . .
But, if I wake up tomorrow and the headlines read “Charlie Sheen Dies Of Overdose” . . . I will blame not only Mr. Sheen for his own behavior, but also the media for tacitly “encouraging” it.
Charlie . . . in the unlikely event that you read this . . . I know that you think you are a super-hero, full of “tiger blood” . . . but please (even if you think it’s stupid) consult with a mental health professional . . . or (I believe), Keith Richards will outlive you.
Tell the interviewers to leave you alone, get rid of the “Goddesses”, and reach out to your family . . . they obviously really do care about you, as do millions of friends and fans . . . and get some help.
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Tags: Charlie Sheen, Mental Illness -
December 6th, 2010Health and Wellness, Humor
I finally had my first colonoscopy . . . and it wasn’t that bad (really!).
Coincidently, right after I had undergone “the procedure”, someone sent me an article that Dave Barry had written for the Miami Herald, and it is hilarious.
Dave Barry
Maybe I find it particularly funny, because I just went through the exact same thing (including the “MoviPrep“, the chicken broth, etc.; but without the ABBA music). His description of the whole process is spot on! . . . I could have written the exact same article based on my own experience (however, I’m not as witty and articulate as Dave Barry).
(By the way, MoviPrep comes in a big box that looks harmless enough . . . indeed, I think the name suggests that the box should contain microwave popcorn, a soft drink and a DVD of a nice romantic comedy . . . however . . . well . . . read on).Here is Dave Barry’s article:
OK. You turned 50. You know you’re supposed to get a colonoscopy. But you haven’t. Here are your reasons:
1. You’ve been busy.
2. You don’t have a history of cancer in your family.
3. You haven’t noticed any problems.
4. You don’t want a doctor to stick a tube 17,000 feet up your butt.
Let’s examine these reasons one at a time. No, wait, let’s not. Because you and I both know that the only real reason is No. 4. This is natural. The idea of having another human, even a medical human, becoming deeply involved in what is technically known as your ”behindular zone” gives you the creeping willies.
I know this because I am like you, except worse. I yield to nobody in the field of being a pathetic weenie medical coward. I become faint and nauseous during even very minor medical procedures, such as making an appointment by phone. It’s much worse when I come into physical contact with the medical profession. More than one doctor’s office has a dent in the floor caused by my forehead striking it seconds after I got a shot.
In 1997, when I turned 50, everybody told me I should get a colonoscopy. I agreed that I definitely should, but not right away. By following this policy, I reached age 55 without having had a colonoscopy. Then I did something so pathetic and embarrassing that I am frankly ashamed to tell you about it.
What happened was, a giant 40-foot replica of a human colon came to Miami Beach. Really. It’s an educational exhibit called the Colossal Colon, and it was on a nationwide tour to promote awareness of colo-rectal cancer. The idea is, you crawl through the Colossal Colon, and you encounter various educational items in there, such as polyps, cancer and hemorrhoids the size of regulation volleyballs, and you go, ”Whoa, I better find out if I contain any of these things,” and you get a colonoscopy.
If you are as a professional humor writer, and there is a giant colon within a 200-mile radius, you are legally obligated to go see it. So I went to Miami Beach and crawled through the Colossal Colon. I wrote a column about it, making tasteless colon jokes. But I also urged everyone to get a colonoscopy. I even, when I emerged from the Colossal Colon, signed a pledge stating that I would get one.
But I didn’t get one. I was a fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I was practically a member of Congress.
Five more years passed. I turned 60, and I still hadn’t gotten a colonoscopy. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I got an e-mail from my brother Sam, who is 10 years younger than I am, but more mature. The email was addressed to me and my middle brother, Phil. It said:
“Dear Brothers,
I went in for a routine colonoscopy and got the dreaded diagnosis: cancer. We’re told it’s early and that there is a good prognosis that they can get it all out, so, fingers crossed, knock on wood, and all that. And of course they told me to tell my siblings to get screened. I imagine you both have.”
Um. Well.
First I called Sam. He was hopeful, but scared. We talked for a while, and when we hung up, I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn’t really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, “HE’S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BUTT!”
I left Andy’s office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called ”MoviPrep,” which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America’s enemies.
I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn’t eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes — and here I am being kind — like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, ”a loose watery bowel movement may result.” This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.
MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don’t want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, ”What if I spurt on Andy?” How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the hell the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.
Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn’t thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was Dancing Queen by Abba. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, Dancing Queen has to be the least appropriate.
”You want me to turn it up?” said Andy, from somewhere behind me.
”Ha ha,” I said.
And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.
I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, Abba was shrieking “Dancing Queen! Feel the beat from the tambourine . . .”
. . . and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.
But my point is this: In addition to being a pathetic medical weenie, I was a complete moron. For more than a decade I avoided getting a procedure that was, essentially, nothing. There was no pain and, except for the MoviPrep, no discomfort. I was risking my life for nothing.
If my brother Sam had been as stupid as I was — if, when he turned 50, he had ignored all the medical advice and avoided getting screened — he still would have had cancer. He just wouldn’t have known. And by the time he did know — by the time he felt symptoms — his situation would have been much, much more serious. But because he was a grown-up, the doctors caught the cancer early, and they operated and took it out. Sam is now recovering and eating what he describes as ”really, really boring food.” His prognosis is good, and everybody is optimistic, fingers crossed, knock on wood, and all that.
Which brings us to you, Mr. or Mrs. or Miss or Ms. Over-50-And-Hasn’t-Had-a-Colonoscopy. Here’s the deal: You either have colo-rectal cancer, or you don’t. If you do, a colonoscopy will enable doctors to find it and do something about it. And if you don’t have cancer, believe me, it’s very reassuring to know you don’t. There is no sane reason for you not to have it done.
I am so eager for you to do this that I am going to induce you with an Exclusive Limited Time Offer. If you, after reading this, get a colonoscopy, let me know by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to Dave Barry Colonoscopy Inducement, The Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132. I will send you back a certificate, signed by me and suitable for framing if you don’t mind framing a cheesy certificate, stating that you are a grown-up who got a colonoscopy. Accompanying this certificate will be a square of limited-edition custom-printed toilet paper with an image of Miss Paris Hilton on it. You may frame this also, or use it in whatever other way you deem fit.
But even if you don’t want this inducement, please get a colonoscopy. If I can do it, you can do it. Don’t put it off. Just do it.
Be sure to stress that you want the non-Abba version.
**************************************************
(Ethel: My parting advice is that you order a roll (or two or three) of Paris Hilton toilet paper from http://jeremyinc.com/celebrityrolls/parishilton.html so that it arrives well in advance of the evening that you choke down the MoviPrep!)
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Tags: Colonoscopy -
September 7th, 2010Books, Food and Drink, Health and Wellness This is from Yahoo! Health and is written by David Zinczenko, the author of the popular Eat This, Not That! series of books:
Sarah Palin is on a diet. So is Barack Obama, Glenn Beck, Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga, Peyton Manning, the pitching staff of the Texas Rangers, all the judges on America’s Got Talent, and the entire cast of Glee. In fact, from Chris Rock to Kid Rock to The Rock, everyone you can name is on a diet.
And so are you.
How can I be so sure? Because a “diet” isn’t something you go on and go off of, like a prescription. A diet is what you eat, day in and day out, whether you planned to eat that way or not. So when people ask me what kind of “diet” they should follow, I always tell them to follow the one they’re already on—the way you like to eat is the way you should eat. In researching the Eat This, Not That! book series and seeing people lose 10, 20, 30 pounds or more effortlessly, I’ve learned that if you want to make big changes to your health, forget about following somebody else’s diet. Just make a bunch of little changes to the diet you’re already following. Believe me, it’s the best way to get results. Below, I’ve listed the 25 best new nutritional tweaks you can make that will improve the way you look and feel—fast and forever!
1. Drink a second cup of coffee. It might lower your risk of adult-onset diabetes,
according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.2. Keep serving dishes off the table. Researchers have found that when people are served individual plates, as opposed to empty plates with a platter of food in the middle of the table, they eat up to 35 percent less!
3. Think before you drink. The average person drinks more than 400 calories a day–double what he or she used to–and alone gets around 10 teaspoons of added sugar every single day from soft drinks. Swap out sweetened teas and sodas for no-cal drinks and you could lose up to 40 pounds in a single year! (To see more proof of how wayward beverages can utterly destroy your diet, check out the 20 Worst Drinks in America. Many of these drinks contain more than a day’s worth of calories, sugar and fat!)
4. Practice total recall. British scientists found that people who thought about their last meal before snacking ate 30 percent fewer calories that those who didn’t stop to think. The theory: Remembering what you had for lunch might remind you of how satiating the food was, which then makes you less likely to binge on your afternoon snack.
5. Eat protein at every meal. Dieters who eat the most protein tend to lose more weight while feeling less deprived than those who eat the least protein. It appears that protein is the best nutrient for jumpstarting your metabolism, squashing your appetite, and helping you eat less at subsequent meals.
6. Choose whole-grain bread. Eating whole grains (versus refined-grain or white bread) has been linked to lower risks of cancer and heart disease.
7. Think fish. Consuming two 4- to 6-ounce servings of oily fish a week will sharpen your mind. Among the best: salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, and trout. They’re high in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which may reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s. Study participants who had high blood levels of DHA also performed better on noverbal reasoning tests and showed better mental flexibility, working memory, and vocabulary than those with lower levels.8. Sign up for weight-loss e-mails. Daily e-mails (or tweets) that contain weight-loss advice remind you of your goals and help you drop pounds, researchers from Canada found. We’re partial to our own Eat This, Not That! newsletter, and to the instant weight-loss secrets you’ll get when you follow me on Twitter here.
9. Cut portions by a quarter. Pennsylvania State University researchers discovered that by simply reducing meal portions 25 percent, people ate 10 percent fewer calories—without feeling any hungrier. Serving yourself? Think about what looks like a reasonable portion, then take at least one-quarter less than that. (By the way, studies show today’s restaurant servings are 2 to 5 times bigger than what the government recommends!)
10. Turn off the TV. Scientists at the University of Massachusetts found that people who watch TV during a meal consume, on average, 288 more calories than those who don’t eat with the tube on.
11. Put your fork down when you chew. Or take a sip of water between each bite—eating slowly can boost levels of two hormones that make you feel fuller, Greek researchers found.
12. Choose rye (not wheat) bread for breakfast toast. Swedish researchers found that rye eaters were more full 8 hours after breakfast than wheat-bread eaters, thanks to rye’s high fiber content and minimal effect on blood sugar. As a result you’ll want to snack less and eat less for lunch.
13. Eat a handful of fruit and vegetables a day. In one study, people who ate four or
five servings scored higher on cognitive tests than those who consumed less than one serving. (Remember: Salad isn’t always the healthy choice. Check out 20 Salads Worse Than a Whopper to see what I mean. You’ll be shocked.)14. Sip green tea. It might help you build a strong skeleton, say researchers in China, and help protect you from broken bones when you’re older. And one study found that it helps fight bad breath, too.
15. Work out before lunch or dinner. Doing so will make the meals you eat right afterward more filling, according to British researchers—meaning you’ll eat fewer calories throughout the day.
16. Hung over? Choose asparagus. When South Korean researchers exposed a group of human liver cells to asparagus extract, it suppressed free radicals and more than doubled the activity of two enzymes that metabolize alcohol. That means you’ll feel like yourself again twice as quickly.
17. Sleep 8 hours a night. Too much or too little shut-eye can add extra pounds, say Wake Forest University researchers. Not there yet? Try these 7 simple strategies for longer, deeper sleep.
18 Discover miso soup. Brown wakame seaweed (used in miso soup) can help lower your blood pressure, especially if your levels are already high, say researchers at the University of North Carolina.19. Drink two glasses of milk daily. People who drink the most milk have about a 16 percent lower risk of heart disease than people who drink the least. (I recommend nonfat or 1 percent milk.)
20. Take a zinc supplement. Just 15 milligrams of zinc a day (the amount found in a Centrum Ultra multivitamin, for example) will motivate your immune cells to produce more of a protein that fights off bacterial infections.
21. Go ahead, eat your favorite foods. Good eating doesn’t need to be about deprivation—it’s about making smart choices. Why eat a 1,000-calorie cheeseburger if a 500-calorie burger will satisfy you just the same? The bottom line: Eat foods that you enjoy, just not too much of them.
22. Choose foods with the fewest ingredients. There are now more than 3,000 ingredients on the FDA’s list of safe food additives—and any of these preservatives, artificial sweeteners and colorings and flavor enhancers could end up on your plate. Do you really know what these chemicals will do to your waistline or health? Of course not. Here’s a rule of thumb: If a 7-year-old can’t pronounce it, you don’t want to eat it.
23. Snack on popcorn. In a 2009 study, people who ate 1 cup of microwave popcorn 30 minutes before lunch consumed 105 fewer calories at the meal. Just choose the kind without butter.
24. Or snack on walnuts. Eating a handful of walnuts each day may boost your HDL (good) cholesterol fastest, while lowering your LDL (bad) cholesterol.
25. Scramble your breakfast. People who ate eggs in the morning instead of a
bagel consumed 264 fewer calories the rest of the day, according to a Saint Louis University study. That’s because protein is more filling than carbs.
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Tags: Diet, Nutrition -
September 5th, 2010Current Affairs, Health and Wellness, History, Humor
Dear Ethel,
I am 80-years-old . . . pardon me, 80-years-young!
Everywhere I go today I see these “fitness centers” and “Gold’s Gym” and so on and so forth, on what seems like every block of the city. I look through the window of these places and I see these miserable young people running on these treadmill things and using these elipsical machines or whatever the hell they are.
When I was a young man – back in the 1950′s – we didn’t have these “fitness centers”; however, we seemed to stay more fit and trim that the youth I see loitering around today.
Why do you think this is?
Answer:
For all your travel needs, go to Kitty Malone Travel.
Hotels, flights, cruises, car rentals, road trips, destination guides, etc.
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Tags: 1950's, Fitness Centers
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